Hearts & Minds
by PlainJaneDoe
Summary: It started with a night in and a few bad movies, but resulted in an evening neither of them would ever forget. Sandle. First Fic so please review and let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first ever, ever, ever FanFic - it's your typical Sandle really, not sure where I want to go with it. I've left when this is set relatively ambiguous... Please be kind! Took a lot of courage for me to upload this. Thanks to DearSweetPapercut for being utterly lovely and making me feel a little better about posting :)**

**ALSO - i do not own CSI or any of it's characters etc etc, same goes for any and all chapters I write for this particular fic. Thanking you :)**

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He leaned up against his car, mulling things over, thinking about what his next move should be. His brow was furrowed, deep in thought. A warm Nevada breeze rolled over him, causing him to awaken from his thoughts, dragging him away with a jolt from his thoughts of Sara. He blinked and took a look around him to observe his surroundings. He was stood in the car park of his work place; people were coming and going, but never hanging around like he did. He didn't even know what he was waiting for, just waiting, and hoping.

He heard the nearby doors swing open then shut, catching his attention. He looked over and his heart skipped a beat as he saw her, striding towards her car, sunglasses in place, fiddling with her phone whilst fumbling for her car keys. He enjoyed the fact that, just for a second, he could observe her like this without her having any idea. Before he knew it, his legs were moving against his will and he was borderline running towards her.

"Sara!" he shouted to her, he felt a tightening in his stomach as he considered what he must look like, running towards her right now, the last thing he wanted to look like was a love sick teenager desperately seeking attention. Her response was more than enough to settle his nerves.

"Hey," she said, with her signature gap-tooth smile, "What are you doing out here?"

"I was waiting for you," throwing a boyish smirk her way, "Thought you might want to catch breakfast?"

"Umm..." he watched her face in anticipation; "yeah, alright, why not?" she grinned back at him.

He nodded in recognition and a short silence filled the space between them for a few short moments, "So... where d'you wanna go?"

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A couple of hours later, he found himself sitting across from her in their local diner having just finished breakfast. He leaned right back into his chair and shut his eyes, out-stretching his arms. His long shift had taken it out of him, and he could feel his eyes straining in the sun as he relaxed and opened his eyes again. Sara had propped her feet up on the chair next to him, and was running her hands through her hair. He watched her movements, forgetting that he was no longer just observing her; he was there in front of her quite blatantly watching her. She caught his eyes and flashed a smirk.

"What?" She said, suspiciously wondering why he was watching her.

He came back down to earth for a brief moment to avert his eyes from her gaze, rapidly searching for something else to look at, spending longer that he should looking down at his hands and out of the window, but he couldn't find anything quite as nice to observe. His eyes inevitably fell back in line with hers, her lips still smirking as he fished for excuses.

He grinned for a short second, before shaking his head, shaking off what he nearly said. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively at him, before turning her attention to her coffee, tracing her finger around the rim mindlessly. His heart sank ever so slightly as her attentions were reassigned to other things.

"So," he said, a little too soon as he hadn't quite figured out what to say to re-spark conversations, "you up to much later?" He narrowly avoided an awkward pause.

She looked up from her coffee "Well, it's my first night off tonight in what feels like forever. I should probably make the most of it, but I'll probably end up staying in watching a couple of bad movies."

"Wow, you lead an exciting life Sara Jane, a night off from death and you're going to spend it with bad movies? For shame..."

She nudged him playfully with her foot, still propped up beside him; she could see where he was coming from, "Well, Mr Sanders, I'm sorry that I'm not quite up to your exciting standards, but sometimes it's nice to just... not do very much for once." Her tired eyes fell back to her coffee.

Greg cocked his head slightly at her, his eyes projected his worry at the thought of ever so slightly offending her, "Hey, I'm not passing judgment here, I'm just saying you ought to make the most of it, you never know when you'll get another one, you know how it's been at the lab recently..." He paused. He had a night off tonight too, his mind battled with whether he should say what he was thinking. She spoke up before he had chance to decided.

"I noticed you're not down for tonight either, so what are your exciting plans?" she said with a smirk creeping over her face.

"You know me, Sar, it's just nonstop tonight, party here, party there, we're in Vegas baby! What isn't there to do?" Everything, he knew his night was destined to go the same way as hers, unless...

"You are a terrible liar, Sanders," she raised an eyebrow, "admit it, you're night is going to be just as boring as mine and you know it" she could read him like a book, and he knew it. Triumphantly, she finished off her coffee, and removed her feet from the chair opposite her.

"Ok, fine, you got me," He said, ruffling up his hair and staring down, like a child who just got caught out, "let's do something then, together, it would beat a boring night in alone," he looked up and caught her eyes for a split second, "right?".

She contemplated this for a moment and took a deep breath, she removed her gaze from the floor and placed her eyes on his, "that depends, what exactly do you have in mind that could possibly be better than a few glasses of wine and a bad movie?"

Before he could think about what he was saying; "a few glasses of wine, a bad movie and me?" he shot her a boyish, infectious grin. She resisted returning it, but she felt the corner of her mouth twitching, "or I could wine and dine you? Take you out for a wild night on the town...?"

"Or maybe just bring a _good_ movie? As opposed to a bad one?" Sara raised an eyebrow.

"Not into a wild night out then? Well, you will live to regret it, but you can't say I didn't tempt you, you haven't lived until you've had a night out with Sanders" He smirked into the dregs of his coffee before finishing it off completely.

She let out a small laugh, "A night out with Sanders? I didn't know they were so famous, what have I been missing out on all these years?"

He smiled at her before rubbing the back of his neck with the palm of his hand, "not really a great deal..." he admitted, since becoming a CSI, he hadn't really had the time to put himself back out there, and Vegas had moved on without him.

Sara looked at him; he could feel her eyes burn into him as he looked up at her, a little defeated.

"A bad, no, _good_, movie and a bottle of wine it is then," his heart twinged slightly as she watched his espresso eyes light up. She got herself up and walked away, looking back over her shoulder for a short moment and flashing him an almost flirty smile. He watched her leave, longingly, unable to remove the grin plastered across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Decided to add not one but TWO short chapters seeing as I'm going on holiday for a week tomorrow and I won't be able to upload... **

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As Sara walked away, she looked back just for a moment, and met Greg's grin with her own. She quickly turned back and made her way outside to her car. Her heart was beating hard, as she threw open the door to her car and climbed in. Glancing back briefly, she saw Greg leave the diner and jog towards her She rolled the window down, allowing him to lean in ever so slightly.

"You can't just leave me like that! I need planning and structure, Sidle," he grinned at her. She slipped her sunglasses on before looking at him.

"I don't like planning and structure," she said coolly with a smirk on her face. He looked back at her in boyish confusion. "I'll see you later, no bad movies Grego!".

He jumped away from the window as it began to close again; he flashed her one last cheeky smile. She looked in her rear view mirror as she left the parking lot, watching him as long as she could. She felt her heart flutter, and wondered if his did too whenever they were together. She couldn't comprehend how she felt properly when she was around this man; she always got butterflies whenever they touched, even if it was brief and meaningless. Her mind was telling her that tonight would probably be a bad move, and her stomach lurched slightly at the thought of her taking advantage of him, the person she was mentoring... Her heart, however, was beating faster with every minute and every thought of him, willing her mind to accept that this would be a good idea.

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Sara stirred from her sleep, rubbing her eyes and adjusting to the last remaining light seeping in through her curtains. It was 6 o'clock, she had about an hour before he arrived. She allowed herself a couple of minutes to lie perfectly still and think about what she was doing. She rolled onto her back and let her hands rest above her. At that moment in time, she decided to let her heart prevail over her head.

Pulling back the covers, she headed for the shower quietly to prepare for his arrival.

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There was a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a beat. It was him. He was here, at the door of her apartment. She had to take a deep breath in an effort to settle her butterflies. She didn't know why she felt like this. He couldn't possibly feel the same way as her, she told herself, he's just here because he has nothing better to do... Her mind took over and stopped her from getting too carried away. If she told herself these things, she might make it through the even without jumping on him and mussing up his perfect dirty blonde hair.

She quietly made her way to the door and put her hand out to open it. She hesitated for just one second, before pulling it open completely. One look in his eyes and at his smile, and she instantly felt all her apprehensions melt away.

"Well, hello there," he said in an attempt at mock-seduction so poor it made stifling her laugh difficult.

She cleared her throat with a smirk, his face screwed up, confusion spreading across it, "Smooth..." she said. They stood at her doorway for a couple of moments before she stood aside and let him walk in.

"What?" she could sense he was genuinely a little taken aback, "this is pure Greg Sanders charm here, you can't just laugh in my face, that's not on Sidle, not on at all" he grinned at her before snaking his way around her furniture and falling back on her couch.

"Make yourself at home," he looked up at her, he already had. She spied the 2 bottles of wine in his hands and signalled to the fridge.

"I already bought 3? And I have a couple of bottles of red too..."

"Then we will be exceedingly well stocked" he raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head and placed both bottles in the fridge, retrieving a cold one in their place.

Greg pulled himself up from his seat and began to wonder about her apartment. She watched him intently and discreetly as she sought out wine glasses. He hovered for a moment around her book shelf. She felt a strange feeling rise in her stomach, as if he was rifling through her whole life, but the books were just the start. He made his way around the room until he settled in front of her DVDs. They were in no particular holding, just piled up in the corner on top of each other in the corner, organised mess.

"Wow, Sar, when you said bad movies, I didn't realise it was this bad," she whipped round, mouth slightly open in protest.

"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her, his cheeky grin vanished and she could see something flicker in his eyes.

"Well, I, urm," a smirk flushed across her face as she watched him squirm, "never mind..."

"My taste in films is a hell of a lot better than yours, Greg" she said, pouting somewhat, "your taste in music also has a lot to be desired," she shot him a playful glare before turning back to pick up the wine glasses she's left three quarter filled on the side.

Greg returned to his seat looking beaten, she handed him his glass, "Come on, Sanders, cheer up" she said with a ruffle of his hair, instantly bringing the smile back to his face.

He clinked his glass against hers and she got caught up in his eyes for just a second before he broke the silence.

"So, what shall we watch first?"


	3. Chapter 3

'What a dumb thing to say,' Greg cursed under his breath. He couldn't believe he'd said something like that. It was for this reason that he had always trained himself to think before he spoke, but all this went out the window when he was with her. She was right though, his music taste was a little unique, he could have quipped back, knowing that she too liked a lot of what he listened to, but on this occasion, he stayed quiet.

He returned to his seat in silence, thinking about what she was thinking right now. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that their friendship could cope with a little film-taste battering, but for some reason, he was incredibly careful around her. He wanted this to go perfectly, although his self esteem kept telling him that the twinkle in her eyes and the way he felt sometimes he could almost hear her heart beating when he was close to her was all in his head, there was no way she would see him as more than a friend, but it didn't stop his heart fantasising about it whenever he was alone with his thoughts.

She gave him his glass and sat down next to him, "Come on, Sanders, cheer up" and with a ruffle of his hair he felt a lot better about the movie mishap, and it dawned on him how stupid he'd been to take something like that so seriously. Whenever he was around her, it was like he turned into a teenager again – something he both loved and hated.

He clinked his glass with hers and relaxed. "So, what shall we watch first?"

"Well Greg, seeing as my taste in films is so appalling, I'm at a loss". She curled her legs up under herself and looked straight at him. She looked so cool and collected, but as her eyes burned into him, he could feel heat rising up through his body. He took a relatively large sip of wine to remedy this before setting it down onto the coffee table. Unfortunately, the wine just made it worse.

He propped his arm up on the back of the couch and twisted his body to face her, "Sara Jane, you're movie tastes are second to none, and I'm sure whatever you put on will be the best movie I will have ever seen..." he wasn't technically lying, "and if it's not... I'll lie and say it was anyway"

She hit him with a pillow, he'd made her smile, that made him smile, albeit childishly, back. There was a short pause as she ran her pale fingers through coppery brown curls, deep in thought. Greg could have sworn he saw a lightbulb appear behind her eyes, as she got up and wondered over to her DVD pile. "You are going to love this and it will prove once and for all, Greg Sanders, that I am the superior movie fan" she smirked at him with quiet amusement.

He cocked his head and studied her, trying to read her, but he couldn't. He finished off his glass of wine and shook it at her, "refill please"

"Well, at least you have manners," she quipped, picking up his glass on the way to the television, "red or white?" she kneeled down and placed the DVD in the reader, looking back over her shoulder for his response.

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A couple of hours later, they'd drank their way through almost 3 bottles of wine. Greg had his arms folded, glaring seriously into the television in a tipsy haze. He heard a sniggering to his left, Sara had clocked on to his drunkenness.

"Look at you, you're holding yourself still" she, herself, was leaned back fully onto the arm of the chair, both feet in Greg's lap with a lopsided grin on her face.

"Am not"

"You so are"

"Am not" he gave himself a moment to actually think about where his hands were placed. He allowed his muscles to relax and they ached from how hard he'd been gripping onto his sides. He looked at her as his arms fell slightly as he began to laugh. She laughed back. They were pretty drunk.

"I don't know about you, but I stopped watching this about an hour ago" she said with the tiniest hint of slur in her voice, propping her head up with her hand leaning on the back of the sofa. He had to admit himself, he'd been staring pretty hard at the screen, but had failed to take in any of what he was watching.

"Why don't we go for a walk," came out of his mouth when he least suspected it to. She stared at him and he stared back, there was a pause but it wasn't awkward, "are we having a staring contest?" was next to fall out of his mouth. She smirked, stifling her laughter once again.

"Okay, let's go... I don't know where we're going, or why we're going, but I think... I think we ought to go" she had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well, alright then," he said, standing himself up and letting Sara's feet fall off him before swiftly falling back down again as his knees buckled. Evidently, he'd forgotten to move for the past hour, and his legs had frozen up. This only caused more laughter to spill from her mouth. "Wait, wait let me try that again, I'm fine, it's fine, let's go for a walk"

She held out her hands and he gratefully accepted them, pulling her up off the sofa, she immediately stumbled onto him. Her palms were flat on his chest as she looked up at him. He felt that heat again as his heart started to beat faster, he was terrified she would begin to feel the increase in pace. "Well, hello there" she whispered quietly, pouting as she did so.

"Gimme a break" he said, causing her to double up in fits of laughter. "Come on, let's go"

Somewhat reluctantly, she appeared to comply, as they made their way outside, "Gregory Sanders, wherever are you taking me?"

"I don't really know, but it will be awesome I promise," his mind had given up now, his heart was calling the shots.


	4. Chapter 4

**RIGHT, I am back off holiday :) I wrote quite a few chapters whilst I was away, but am uploading in stages... Let me know what you think! Reviews always very much loved 3**

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The cold hit her first, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath. Her mind was buzzing, but she felt happy; drunkenly happy. She pulled her jacket together to prevent the cold from nipping at her chest and shut the door. Greg was already outside with both his arms in the air on the balls of his feet; he'd been sat in one place for too long and was obviously revelling in the fresh air and space. He heard the door close behind him and span round, arms still in the air but feet falling to the ground upon turning, wobbling ever so slightly, a cigarette just about in his mouth – lit. He gave her a cheeky grin and a raise of an eyebrow. She couldn't help but laugh at him, he looked so cute and her heart fluttered the more she studied his demeanour.

"I thought you'd quit?" placing her hands on her hips.

His grin disappeared and his arms finally lowered, he took a drag and removed it from his mouth, holding it for a couple of seconds before breathing "hey, don't judge me," he shook his finger at her, causing ash to fly everywhere as he did so. She smiled at him and plucked the cigarette from his fingers. She was stood mere inches from him now and his hand was still out-stretched pointing. She, herself, had quit a couple of months back, but wine and cigarettes went so well together, she couldn't possibly resist.

"I'll let you off," she took a drag herself; the tickle in her lungs complimented the heat in her stomach and the flutter in her heart perfectly.

He smirked at her, "Am I going to get that back?"

She looked him up and down before breathing out, "Hmm... No" she flashed him a smile, which he returned, along with a disgruntled but accepting sigh. He felt around in his pocket for his cigarettes and lit up another one before taking off down the street. She watched him walk away for as long as she thought she could get away with before catching up to him. They walked silently for a little while enjoying their vices.

"I'll be honest, I don't know why we're even outside; let alone where we're going. I really don't know why you dragged us out here, Sidle," he said throwing a grin in her direction.

She stopped in her tracks, "That's funny; because I'm pretty sure I'm out here freezing my ass off because you promised me something awesome"

It was a couple more steps before he realised that she was no longer walking alongside him. He turned to face her, "Nope, nope this was definitely your idea"

"Greg Sanders," she said, folding her arms, "you made me a promise,"

"I know, I know. Come on, Sara, when have I ever let you down?" A smile broke out over her face. She slowly started to walk, gradually closing the gap between them, "That's the spirit," he smiled back. She slowly walked past him and he turned to follow. They walked a little further quietly.

"Greg, where are we going?"

"Shh, patience, dear Watson"

"Greg!"

"Hey, please, where's the love? Have a little faith in me once in a while!"

"Hey, I'm just reading the facts here, Grego. Let's face it, we're going nowhere," the words rung in her head, it was a wonderfully painful metaphor.

"No, we are definitely not going nowhere, you underestimate me, I know exactly where I'm going..." he stopped and rolled his cigarette butt along his finger before flicking it away, it was clear he was carefully contemplating his surroundings, "OK, so maybe I have no idea where we're going..." he stood, hands on hips, looking around at street signs.

"You, are utterly useless," she poked him in the chest.

"Ow! I bruise easily you know, Sar!" he rubbed the spot, "I'm gonna feel that one in the morning"

"Shut up!" she laughed, "You... are such a big baby," she allowed her eyes to find his, he didn't look down to meet them, so she figured it was safe to continue. His eyes were still darting around; she was close enough to catch hints of his scent - cologne with a hint of cigarettes and alcohol. He finally looked down at her, his eyes looked sad.

"I really, honestly don't know why I brought you out here, I'm really sorry, you must be freezing" they stood looking into each other's eyes. She sensed movement and her peripheral vision caught sight of his hand approaching her face. He hesitated for a short moment mere centimetres away from her, before stroking the tip of his thumb over her cheek. Her heart raced and she allowed a small smile to escape. She raised her hand and, without breaking their eye contact, cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Come on, I have an idea," she forced herself to pull away from his touch, away from their closeness, but kept hold of his hand. Now the pressure was on her, she pulled him along and waved down an approaching cab. They tumbled inside, literally, and she leaned forward and whispered something to the driver.

They were safe on their way, so she relaxed back into the seat with a grin, her head was swimming and the lights outside blurred and danced as they travelled. She looked down and her fingers were still interlaced with his. She followed his arm up to his face with her eyes and it was apparent that he hadn't noticed, allowing her to enjoy the moment to herself. She watched as he rubbed the corners of his eyes with his free hand before giving his head a shake, blinking hard; the alcohol was definitely affecting him too. She watched tentatively before remembering to breathe and breaking her line of sight before he spotted her staring and realised that he was holding her hand. They travelled in silence, but she didn't get the pressure in her chest telling her she should fill it with mindless conversation, she was happy to just sit quietly feeling the alcohol and nicotine wash over her senses as they approached their destination.


	5. Chapter 5

'She's holding my hand, she's holding my hand, she's holding my hand' was all that rushed through his head. He pinched the corners of his eyes with his free hand, 'she's holding my hand, she's holding my hand, she's holding my hand'. He shook his head and blinked hard, 'nope, still here, still in the cab, can't move, she might realise she's still holding my hand'. The alcohol had made this moment incredibly difficult to comprehend, and the sudden movement made his head spin and his stomach turn. Afraid to speak in case it encouraged alcohol induced travel sickness, he instead decided to enjoy the silence and appreciate the moment.

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Greg came tumbling back down to earth with a bang, Sara banging on the seat in front of him in fact, "Here, here, here, stop here, here is just great," she shouted to the driver. He felt the car slow down and finally come to a halt, never had Greg felt more relieved, he was starting to feel incredibly nauseas. He let go of Sara's hand and threw the door open; the cold breeze hit him hard in the face. He could feel fine rain in the air, and as he breathed out a sigh of relief fine mist formed. He swung his legs round and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

"I'll pay, I'll pay, a gentleman always pays,"

"Greg... I've already paid," she said with a smirk.

"Oh... well... I'll give you the money back," he could have sworn the ground was still moving as he heaved himself up and out of the cab. "Um... Where are we?"

He turned around as the cab drove off, revealing her completely. Her hair blew around her face, and the street lights shone onto her just right. Her eyes were locked onto his and that smile was glittering right at him, she looked perfectly picturesque.

"Turn around," she smiled, not breaking contact with his eyes once. He looked on, confused, and slowly turned around. It finally dawned on him that they were a considerable distance away from the city and they were pretty much right there in the desert. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but as they did he saw what she had brought him here to see. "It's so beautiful out here, sometimes it's nice just to see it like this," in front of him was the city they'd just come from, but he was seeing it in a whole new light – it finally dawned on him how beautiful this city was at night when you're not surrounded by cops and dead bodies that aren't getting any fresher. He breathed in the night air and ran his hands through his quickly dampening hair.

"Whoa... Now that... that is awesome... I'm so glad I decided to show you this," he swayed ever so slightly and flashed her a boyish smile.

"Shut up!" she elbowed him the ribs, causing him to remove the hands he had left nestled in his hair and cover all vulnerable areas for attack.

"Hey, easy, easy! You did good, you did good," he let his eyes fall on her and once he was confident she wasn't going to beat him further, he relaxed. She was stood directly in front of him now, and fine drops of water were forming in her hair. Her face looked wet but she looked incredibly beautiful, and he had to stop himself from telling her so and facing rejection. "So what do you do out here?"

She broke eye contact for a short moment to catch another look at the city, "Think... there isn't much else you _can_ do. Sometimes, after I've caught up on sleep after a tough case, it's hard to come out here, knowing that all that sadness goes on, all the murder and the crime and the heartbreak" he could sense the trauma in her voice and the sadness flicker across her eyes before she placed them back in line with his, "but sometimes, I think it's nice to come out here, to remind me that it can still be beautiful, if nothing else."

He allowed himself to get completely lost, everything else was spinning but he found the calm in her eyes and he didn't want to leave them, before he could stop himself, words he's suppressed earlier were finally tumbling out of his mouth, "You are so beautiful,".

She smiled up at him as he studied her face for signs of rejection. She was centimetres away from him now and he could smell her perfume; laced lightly with cigarettes and alcohol, it was intoxicating. She cupped his face with her hands, and slowly traced his cheek with her thumb. He wasn't quite sure whether this was actually happening or whether he'd passed out back in the cab and this was all a dream, either way, he could feel his heart thumping loudly in his ears, and he prayed to God she couldn't hear it too. He leaned in slowly, not breaking eye contact from her until the very last second, until his lips lightly brushed hers. He stayed like this for a few moments, breathing in her breaths until he was dizzy from carbon dioxide. He felt her hands slide back into his hair and he took it as a sign to proceed, so he did. He closed the remaining space between them and kissed her. He brought his hands up and rested them on her hips, pulling her closer so that their bodies were completely together. Heat rose up from his feet again, it was her, she had this effect on him, the night air was eating away at him, but the smallest kiss caused him to go almost feverish. He tightened his grip, his first two fingers sitting just above her jeans touching her porcelain skin.

She broke away from the kiss for a short moment, giving them both chance to take a breath. She planted a second, smaller, kiss on his lips before pulling away from him completely. He cleared his throat and scanned her face, desperately studying her and hoping he wouldn't pick up any sign of regret at what just happened, but he found nothing. He leaned in again but was interrupted as a car sped by, ruining the moment; it hadn't crossed his mind that they were stood right next to a road. He pressed his forehead against hers and planted a gentle kiss on her nose. She laughed up at him and he could feel her beginning to fall backwards, but he held onto her tightly; it was reassuring to know he wasn't the only one still steaming.

"We'd better get you home," he whispered. There was a short pause as he drank in their closeness. "Wait... Which way is home?"

She laughed, laying her palms on his chest, "I have absolutely no idea whatsoever, maybe coming out here was a bad idea,"

"No," it was his turn to cup her face, "No, no it absolutely, positively wasn't," he looked deep into her eyes and buried his hands into her coppery brown hair. They'd been stood there longer than he thought and his hands disturbed the copious amounts of water droplets that laced her hair, soaking it through. He kissed her once more, and shivered as a single drop of water ran down his nose and fell onto her lips just as he pulled away. She pressed them together and smiled at him. "Come on Sara Jane, I'm sure if we just... walk in that direction, we'll eventually find a cab and go home". She nodded up at him as he pulled completely away from her, her hands slid down his chest and he caught them. Interlacing his fingers with hers, they set off in the direction of Vegas.


	6. Chapter 6

**Uploading two more chaps tonight... I've actually done loads more, but I don't want to flood you all.. :P Let me know what you think, as always :))**

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Her heart was dancing in her chest; everything had gone better than expected. They stumbled through the streets like a pair of teenagers, hands swinging between them. She was beginning to feel very woozy, to the point where it became very obvious, even to her, that they had both had a little too much to drink, and stopping off at a bar on the way had definitely not helped matters, they'd only ducked in out of the cold, but the warming effects of alcohol proved too difficult to resist. She hadn't drank like this in years and it was undeniably obvious.

"My God, I feel like we've walked for miles," Greg said to her, with a wobble that nearly pulled her over, she managed to regain her balance, just, however he followed his wobble with a near fall. He covered it well, though, with a spin and a hair ruffle. She giggled at him; he was such a geek... an utterly gorgeous geek.

"We probably have, I am absolutely soaked," she pushed her hair out of her face. It was now so wet it didn't fall back into place when she pushed it back over her head. She looked over at him, her vision was slightly blurred but she could see that his hair was flat against his forehead, he was squinting as water ran over his face, "looks like I'm not the only one," she said with a smirk, finding his face and nudging his hair away from his eyes.

"Really? I hadn't noticed..." she hit him on the arm with the back of her hand, the force of which caused another drunken wobble, "Ow! Sar, you're breaking my heart with all this abuse this evening"

"You're a grown man, Grego, get over it," she said with a grin. He smiled and lifted his hand to her face, missing the first time, but managing the second, brushing a few trickles of rain away.

"Come on, you'll get hypothermia if we stand around for much longer," he linked his fingers with hers once more and they carried on. She squeezed his hand and stroked his knuckles with the tips of her fingers. She could just about see his boyish smile in the corner of her eyes.

Her eyes searched for familiarities around her but struggled to focus. She'd been almost everywhere in this city, on good business and bad, but as she made her way down the dimly lit streets she couldn't quite pinpoint where she was. Her head was spinning and she felt incredibly sleepy, she contemplated whether her body would keep on walking if she just shut her eyes just for one second...

"Hey, TAXI!" she awoke from her daze with a start, she felt around for Greg's hand, but it was gone. She blinked hard and opened her eyes wide, for the briefest of moments she felt incredibly alone. She finally saw him way up in front, practically falling onto a slowing, oncoming yellow blur. She rubbed both her eyes and tried to walk to where he was, but her legs felt numb. "Come on Sar-Bear, we've been saved!"

"How are you still walking, I can barely move!" she shouted after him.

"But you _are_ moving, that's some fine moving you're doing there," she looked down and her legs were definitely taking her forward, this was incredibly unnerving.

"Greg, this is your fault, absolutely your fault, I can't believe you've got me into this state," taking a few more steps she found her way to where Greg was. He was now leaning up against the car holding the door open. She burrowed her way through his jacket and laid her head on his chest. "I hate you," she said, grinning into his seriously damp shirt.

"No you don't," he lifted her face up from him and she looked into those gorgeous brown eyes. Her heart fluttered as she got lost in them.

"I think you should take me home now, I definitely... definitely need to be at home with you,"

"Well, I didn't flag this cab down for nothing you know," he flashed her that cheeky grin. She planted a kiss on his lips before pulling away completely to begin the battle of getting into the cab. A true gentleman, he took her hand so she could steady herself and climb in, following shortly afterwards.

They sat completely still for just a second, taking in their new and warm surroundings before Greg leaned forward and gave the driver their destination. She swivelled onto her hip so she was facing him and let her head rest on the back of her seat. She felt increasingly dizzy as the car started up again...


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy! :)**

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The car pulled away with a lurch. Greg felt the need to hold his head in one place, the movement of the car left him feeling incredibly disorientated and those extra drinks they'd indulged in whilst ducking in for warmth were causing his head to spin. He looked over and saw Sara on her side looking back at him with sleepy eyes. Behind her, the Vegas lights were flying past them; something that was not helping the steadily worsening sickness in his stomach. Once again, the alcohol left him unable to say a word as they made the journey in silence, all the while trying desperately not to give in to his sickness.

* * *

They finally got back to Sara's apartment, significantly more intoxicated than when they left. Greg saw Sara's eyes flutter open as he pulled out his wallet and passed a wad of dollar bills to the driver, he had no idea what they owed or how much he'd just paid, he just needed to be out of that cab and out of his clothes – he was absolutely freezing cold. He dived out of the cab head first and made his way round to Sara's side, he threw the door open and met her smile. Now he was on solid ground, he felt better with every step he took.

The anticipation of what could be happening in just a few moments time was proving too much, and he craved the feeling of her skin against his as he hopped from foot to foot. The taxi pulled away and Sara was now fumbling for her keys. Greg stood behind her, hands on her hips and kissing her neck. He could hear her gasping as she tilted her head for more attention whilst at the same time drunkenly attempting to unlock her front door. Her coordination finally prevailed over her intoxication and they both fell in.

He turned her around and began his attack on her mouth. Their urgency to feel each other's skin under their fingertips was undeniable as the heat between them soared. Greg closed any remaining space between them and kissed her deeply.

"Greg,"

"Sara," he got a rush hearing his name escape from her lips, and felt he had to return that favour.

"Greg, I..." then it all stopped. Her arms were entangled around his neck, but he could feel them loosening. For a second, he panicked, was she about to tell him this wasn't what she wanted? That it had all been a mistake? He waited patiently for her answers, but there were none. He felt her fully as she let her weight fall on him.

"Sara?" He shook her lightly, but nothing. She had passed out. His heart sank, all this anticipation and longing. He'd waited for hours to get her home, and now that he had, she'd gone. Luckily, Greg Sanders was a patient man and he couldn't help but smile. He had been waiting for this moment for as long as he'd known her, obviously, he hadn't quite expected it to go like this, but he was prepared to wait a little longer. Although heavily intoxicated himself, he tightened his grip around her waist and hoisted her a couple of inches off the ground. He stumbled backwards up against her front door and lowered her back down. He loosened one of his arms and felt around for the light switch. Upon finding it, he was temporarily blinded and a pain ripped across the space behind his eyes and all the way around his head – a small taste of what he had to look forward to the following morning. He clamped his eyes shut, blocking out the painful brightness and mustered all the strength he had left, the strength the alcohol had not yet had chance to eat away at. He squinted momentarily, allowing his eyes to get used to the light before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to bed.

He managed to pull off her soaking wet jacket and pull the covers up over her. He daren't remove anything else, his common sense told him this would probably be a bad idea. He stroked her cheek and kissed her on the forehead, "Goodnight, Sara Jane". He heaved himself up off her bed, it was ridiculously tempting to crawl in next to her but if he was going to do this, he was going to do this right. Ever the gentleman, Greg shut the door behind him and made his way to her couch.

He turned off all the lights and rubbed his eyes, thinking hard about the events that had occurred tonight. His head was spinning but his mind still managed to think, alcohol induced paranoia was on the agenda. He leaned forward and allowed his head to fall into his hands. He stared at the floor and considered his options. He wondered what would happen in the morning. He wondered what would she was going to say. Most of all, he wondered if everything that had happened was what she really wanted or whether it was just the alcohol. He ruffled up his hair, trying to rid it of as much moisture as possible, before leaning back in the chair, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He was too tired and far too drunk to think any further.


	8. Chapter 8

**Short but sweet :)**

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Sara awoke to a dull thumping in her head, followed swiftly by nausea. Knowing opening her eyes would make things heavily worse, she left them shut and pulled the covers over her head. She had no idea where she was or what had happened. The last thing she remembered was kissing Greg, a thought that caused her heart to flutter and the muscles in her stomach to tighten up. She pressed her lips together, desperately seeking a hint of his taste but she found none. Her mouth was dry and her senses dulled; this was definitely the hangover from hell. She decided to face it full on, like ripping off a band aid. It took all her energy to pull herself up and swing her legs off the bed. Deliberately facing away from the window, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but she remained completely still as she waited patiently for it to come back. She could still feel the alcohol in her system as she pulled herself up onto her feet. She rubbed her face hard, causing bursts of colour to explode in front of her eyes. After another couple of minutes adjusting to being on her feet, she slowly turned around to face her bed. Her heart sank as it dawned on her that he wasn't there.

'Please say he didn't leave,' she thought to herself, desperately searching her room for signs that he'd been there. She found none. Maybe it had all been a dream? Slowly, she made her way out to explore the house. Glancing at the clock she noticed it was 11am, she had no idea what time they got in last night, she just remembered it was dark.

The carpet tingled over her toes as she passed the mirror in her hallway. Wait. She backed up and studied herself. She was still fully clothed. Her hair had formed into ringlets that had been flattened on the pillow and her clothes smelt like Nevada rain. She smiled through her searing headache at her reflection, before continuing on her quest; seeking aspirin and Greg Sanders.

She padded into her Lounge and unknowingly booted an empty wine bottle across the floor. She froze as she watched it roll away and come to a halt at the foot of her couch. She followed it tentatively, and was about to retrieve it when she spotted one of the items she was looking for. She followed his leg upwards with her eyes and breathed a small smile when her eyes fell on him. He was fast asleep with his arms crossed and head back. His hair had fluffed up rebelliously in every direction and his wet clothes had left a damp outline of where he'd been sitting on the couch. Her heart swelled, he looked so adorable. It was then that mismatched memories of the night before started to come back to her. Their adventure, their hand holding, their kiss... She tried desperately to figure out what happened after their kiss, but all she could find was darkness. She collected her wine glass from the night before and made her way to the Kitchen, swilling it under the tap and then filling it with water. She took a sip and leaned back on the counter top, studying him. They could talk about it when he woke up, she couldn't bring herself to disturb him. Her head throbbed and her stomach was turning, she needed to lie back down. She didn't want to go back to her bed alone, so she instead curled up next to him on the couch, "I don't regret a single moment," she whispered in his ear, before slowly letting her eyes droop once more.

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**NB: Next chapter is a liiiiitttle bit smutty.. but all is not what it seems... just a warning!**


	9. Chapter 9

**As mentioned in my previous chapter, the following WILL get a liiiittlle bit smutty.. You have been warned!**

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_Greg had never felt better, he found himself with her, taking her in, drinking in every drop. She was straddling him on the couch, kissing his neck. He allowed his hands to roam up and down her back. He wanted her, badly, and he had to have her. He let his hands fall at her waist before sliding them underneath her top, pushing it up and over her head, breaking her contact with him for a few short seconds, he drank in the feel of her, soft and beautiful underneath his fingertips. He tossed it to one side as she slipped his jacket over his shoulders, pushing herself harder on top of him as she did so before finding his lips again. They kissed deeply as she unbuttoned his shirt, moaning softly into his mouth. They were both still fully clothed from the waist down, but he had to know before they went any further, he had to put his mind at rest. He rested his hands on hers, stilling them and breaking away from her kiss._

"_Sara, do you really want this? I mean, I don't want this to be a mistake... everything that's happened... I don't want you to regret it,"_

_She looked deep into his eyes and stroked his face, before whispering in his ear "I don't regret a single moment," The words rang around his head, with more clarity than anything else that had happened in these moments. His heart started to beat faster. She returned her attentions to his neck once more, but he found himself unable to concentrate, a sharp and deep pain was developing in his head, and sickness was growing in his stomach._

"_Sara," he whispered to her, trying to still her movements, everything became blurry, and he felt for a split second like he was a spectator, watching from above. It was then that he came crashing back down to earth._

He opened his eyes a little too quickly, and the light seeping in through the curtains attacked his senses. He took a deep breath in and rubbed his head. He could feel sickness rising from his stomach, and his mouth felt stale. This was truly the hangover from hell...

He looked over to his left, then to his right, then back to his left, his brain had finally sent the correct signal and he realised that she was curled up on the couch on her side next to him. She looked perfect, her coppery brown waves framed her face as she slept, head resting on her arm.

'I don't regret a single moment' rang in his ears. It was just a dream. He sat watching her, worrying about why she was there. Was she waiting for him to wake up so they could talk? So she could tell him it was all a mistake? Let him down gently? His mind raced and his heart pounded. He couldn't wait to find out; he didn't think he could take it. He heaved himself up off her couch with a pronounced wobble. Alcohol was still surging through his veins rendering him unable to think straight, part of him couldn't help but wonder that he would be thinking more rationally if he wasn't desperately hungover and fearing rejection. He needed a shower and proper sleep in his own bed. He studied her one last time, she looked peaceful and happy. His heart stabbed with the same rhythm of the pain in his head. He took short steps towards the door and fell towards it slightly, letting his head rest on the cold wood; it supplied short term relief for his pounding head but offered no release for the anxiety that lay tight in his stomach. He fumbled for the door and left, he needed to get home to sleep and think.

* * *

He'd been home less than 5 minutes and he'd already thrown his clothes into a heaped pile and stumbled into the shower. He fiddled mindlessly with the controls until water began to flow, deathly cold at first causing his skin to tighten and his headache to worsen, but as the temperature rose he began to relax as he stood fully under the warmth. The throbbing in his head subsided briefly, but the way his stomach churned from anxiety every time he thought about her worsened. Had he made a fool out of himself? They shouldn't have drank as much as they did, the alcohol could have clouded her judgment. For all he knew, she was at home right now, relieved that he'd gone so she wouldn't have to tackle the awkwardness of telling him she regretted the whole thing, she shouldn't have led him on, he shouldn't have taken advantage of her. Before he could stop himself his fist slammed against the tiled walls that lined his shower cubicle. He couldn't carry on thinking like this; it was doing him no good.

He washed all the remnants of last night away; he could feel her scent disappearing and his heart sank. But it was for the best. He cleared some of the steam from his shower door to glance at the clock. It was 3pm and his shift started in a matter of hours, so did hers, a thought that sent spasms through his body. He rubbed his face with wet hands and washed away the remainder of her scent on his skin. He needed to get some sleep ready for the graveyard shift ahead.


	10. Chapter 10

Sara awoke with a start. "Greg?" no response. She'd slept off the majority of her headache, and the alcohol in her system had dried up. She sipped her water, now slightly stagnant after sitting for 5 hours in the light seeping in through a gap in her curtains. She looked over to where he was supposed to be sitting. Her couch had dried, but there a darkened outline remained. Standing up, she searched the house, but nothing, he'd gone. Was this his way of saying what had happened was a mistake? That the alcohol had clouded his judgment? She sat back in her seat with a frown. She was confused, had she done something wrong that she couldn't remember? Not knowing was torture.

It was now 4 o'clock, her shift started soon; hopefully she could back him into a corner and ask him what the hell he was playing at. That it might not have meant anything to him, but it meant everything to her. She had to find out what she'd done wrong, but time was against her. She had to think about how she was going to play this, but first she needed to wash the rain from her skin, along with the alcohol, the cigarettes and most of all; Greg.

* * *

She pulled up into the parking lot, the shower may have washed away a multitude of sins, but she still felt worse for wear, and the worst was yet to come. She scanned her surroundings, Greg's car was in its usual spot, but Greg was nowhere to be found. She threw open her door and collected her things, she was a woman on a mission and she wasn't going to leave this office without answers, unfortunately, Catherine had other ideas.

She was making her way to the break room when she was accosted, "Sara, there you are, you're needed," she handed her a file and pointed in her in the right direction.

She sighed running her eyes over the case, walking the route to the locker room. She couldn't believe this city couldn't go 5 minutes without killing somebody. She sighed once more as she dropped the file on the bench, opening her locker. She glanced around until finally fixating on the tall blonde figure drinking coffee and heading towards the break room. He hadn't seen her yet, so she threw her things into her locker, slamming it shut before snatching up her case file and practically chasing after him. He just about made it into the break room before she caught up with him.

She shut the door behind her and began her attack, "What the hell is your problem?" He span around, his eyes were wide like a deer in headlights. He opened his mouth to respond but she didn't give him chance, "I don't understand, if I did something wrong why couldn't you just tell me? Everything that happened yesterday, it might not have meant much to you, but it..." she was cut off as the break room door opened and Nick walked in. She continued to glare at him, her eyes stung and her throat grew tight, but she forced herself to look him directly in the eye for as long as she could before turning on her heel and heading to her case.

She heard him meekly call after her but she carried on going, and she wasn't going to stop, she was too angry and the only thing she could do to take her mind of the agony she felt was to bury herself deep in her case.


	11. Chapter 11

There he was, he'd just got his first coffee of the night and was heading to the break room to wait for her. Having slept and showered he was feeling pretty stupid, he'd panicked, he'd freaked out, and he knew it. So he was going to make it up to her. He was going to wait for her in the break room and say something that would completely make everything better...

"What the hell is your problem?" He span around, 'Oh no,' was his first thought, quickly followed by 'Go, say it, say it' but he wasn't fast enough, "I don't understand, if I did something wrong why couldn't you just tell me? Everything that happened yesterday, it might not have meant much to you, but it..." she was cut off as the break room door opened and Nick walked in. Her eyes burned into him, he could see the anger flicker in her eyes and it ripped through him like a knife. He couldn't say what he wanted, not with Nick there, so she turned on her heel and left. He reached out to her, hoping to stop her.

"Sara," was all he could manage as she stalked off down the hall. He sighed, that was that, there was no way he was going to be able to think straight until she came back. He'd have to wait.

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It was nearing 2am before Sara came back. Greg had been working on one of his cases in the lab as he saw her walk past. He left his seat and went to go after her, but just as he got through the door he felt a hand on his arm as Catherine stopped him.

"She's had a rough shift," he looked at her briefly before looking over to the locker room, "the case was difficult enough as it was, but the Mother went a little bit overboard, took it out on Sara... she's in custody cooling off as we speak, the Mother that is..."

"Oh... right, well... I'll just... see if she's alright," he felt a rumble of worry flow over him as he headed towards the locker room, he hoped she wasn't going to beat him senseless seeing as she would already be wound up.

She was fumbling through her locker when he got there, so he leaned up against the door frame and waited for her to finish. She hadn't seen him and was about to take her top off until he, being the gentleman that he was, decided now would be a good time to make his presence known. He cleared his throat and his eyes darted about the room, he'd stopped her just in time. "Can we talk?"

She'd just started to pull her top up when he spoke. She looked at him and pushed it back; turning towards him, he saw that a large red stain appeared to be the reason for her change in clothes. There was an awkward silence as he studied her, confused. She lifted her arms up before letting them fall heavily back down again, "The Mother of the victim at the crime scene I was just at threw her drink on me..." she sounded exasperated before turning back to her locker. Realizing she couldn't do much else whilst he was still there she slammed the door shut and turned back to face him fully. Before she could begin another verbal attack he began what he'd been practising all night.

"I'm... sorry... I don't know why I left, I panicked... when I woke up and saw you, I started to wonder if you... if..." he was stumbling over his big speech, he decided to just speak from his heart, "last night, it meant a lot to me, and I know that didn't really come across when you woke up and I'd disappeared, but I was so afraid that when you woke up, you were going to tell me it was all a mistake, I just... I don't think I could have coped with that," he looked up from the floor but wasn't quite brave enough to look her in the eyes. After making it half way up her frame, he bottled it and went back to studying the floor. He saw a shadow appear and a familiar scent draw closer. He looked up and was taken aback at how close she now was. He scanned her face and the ache in his gut subsided as he saw a small smile forming.

She cupped his face in her hands and stroked his cheek bone, "I don't regret a single moment," he felt a wave of déjà vu rush over him. She leaned up to him and planted a kiss on his lips, allowing her hands to fall to his shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze as she did so. He stroked her hair, now straight and flicked outwards at her shoulders.

"Well, good, neither do I..." he whispered to her before kissing her forehead, "do you think maybe we could try again? This time without the alcohol and confusion..." he ran his thumb softly along her jaw as he lost himself in her eyes.

She smiled up at him before breaking away and returning to her locker, pulling her top up over her head and throwing it in before pulling out another one. Greg quickly averted his eyes and ended up staring at the floor again. "OK, as long as you promise you won't run out on me the following morning..." he looked up at her, knowing exactly what she was insinuating. She smirked at him as he caught her gaze. He cleared his throat again before looking back to the floor. He heard her laugh quietly into her locker.

When he looked up she was fully clothed. She stood in front of him once more, "Promise?"

He flashed a smile, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, "Yes... I promise,"

"Good, same time, same place next week, Sanders, don't let me down..." and with that she left, taking with her his heart. For the rest of the evening, a goofy grin would be plastered across Greg Sanders' face as he drummed out rhythms with his hands on every surface, and thought about the week ahead.


	12. Chapter 12

One week was far too long to wait. Sara would make the most of every stolen moment, but the week proved busy so there were few to steal. They spent as much time together as they could, every break, every breakfast, every perfect opportunity in the locker room. They'd only gone as far as to kiss, something that played on her mind often, but with each kiss the passion grew. Hands travelled but never invaded, that was for their second chance at a first date.

She loved it when he surprised her, something he was exceedingly good at. She'd be walking towards the break room, minding her own business with her head in her file when she'd feel hands slip around her waist and fingers tease her under her shirt. She'd allow her head to drop back onto his shoulder as he'd kiss her neck. It would last for all of a moment before he'd slink away, carrying on his normal business like nothing had happened, leaving her flustered and a little sad. It was always the worst part of her day; the moment she had to watch him walk away. Occasionally he would turn around and give her a cheeky smile or a wink; that boyish charm that would leave her wanting more, but their working situation made that very difficult. Instead she'd savour the smell of his cologne and allow her skin to enjoy the lingering electricity he'd left behind.

After what felt like forever, her night off rolled around and she'd never felt so nervous. They sealed their shift with a kiss by her car alone before she headed home. She didn't know quite what she was expecting; she just knew that alcohol would definitely not be involved.

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It was approaching 4pm. She'd tossed and turned in between sleep for the past few hours, getting a few hours at most. She was far too anxious, far too excited to sleep, she knew what the night ahead would entail, the thought alone caused shivers to wash all over her. They'd always had a unique relationship, Greg and her, they had always been close, but never had she ever imagined they would end up being as close as they were likely to get in a few hours time. She showered and stood in front of her closet for far too long, selecting underwear and outerwear with the upmost care.

Once dressed she studied herself closely in the mirror, seeing what he would see, or at least trying to. She'd always felt she was fairly plain. Plain Sara Jane with the gap toothed smile. What could he possibly see in her? Maybe she would never know.

She busied her mind with thinking about him and how the evening ahead might go but time had slipped past without her even realising as her door buzzer disturbed her from her daze. He was here, this was it, all of the intensity of the week was all going to come down to this. She felt a little sick, but she knew the moment she opened that door and saw his face it would all melt away. And she was right.

She pulled the door open and met his eyes instantly. He smiled at her before sliding his hands around her waist and kissing her softly. He pulled away and she grinned up at him, "Well, hello th..."

"Don't... even try it," he said playfully. She had been told.

"I couldn't resist," she said as he walked past her.

He looked over his shoulder as he headed towards her couch, raising his eyebrow and shaking his head, "Shame, shame..." he said with a grin as he dropped himself down.

She shut the door and locked it before making her way over to the couch to join him. He slipped an arm around her as she rested her head on his chest. She had it all laid out in front of them, all she had to do now was press play and try and resist him for at least an hour, but Greg had other ideas.

**Quick warning... the next chapter is a chapter dedicated to smut ;) but it's sweet and tasteful, promise :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**As previously mentioned, this chapter is a little racy! But it has sweet moments... I think :P At any rate, next chapter should be up over the next day or so, I'm falling behind a little... Please review anyway, not just this chapter, the whole thing, really would love to hear what you think.**

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His heart was racing; they'd kissed plenty of times before but nothing like this. There was an increased urgency that could take them somewhere as opposed to their clinches at work that always had to end before they got carried away. His hands got lost in her hair as he felt hers fall onto the waistband of his jeans. He kissed her deeply and she responded with just as much firepower. Hands travelled with no boundaries, he was finally getting what he'd been craving. He slowed his affections, worried he was going too fast for her, but she'd already broken away from his kiss and was pulling him up from the couch before locking him in another kiss.

Before he knew it, she'd unbuckled his belt and was getting to work on undoing his jeans. He lowered his hands and pushed her top up, he gasped inwardly as his thumbs brushed over the lace of her bra. They broke apart and stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. A flirty smile broke out on her face which he willingly returned before pulling her top off completely. She began to unbutton his shirt, slowly, she was teasing him and he knew it. Whilst she was occupied he placed his hands on her hips and started kissing her again whilst unbuttoning her jeans. He couldn't believe this was happening, and so fast. This time last week they were steaming drunk and heading out for a walk that would change everything.

Before he knew it, his shirt was on the floor next to him and his jeans had pooled in a crumpled heap at his feet. Within seconds her jeans were off too and they were stood in front of each other in just their underwear. He'd been waiting all week for this moment, and he wanted to savour it. They locked in another intense kiss as they stumbled towards her bedroom.

Once there they pushed and pulled each other until Sara's knees hit the edge of her bed. Feeling her falter, he scooped her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She tangled her arms up behind his neck as he slowly lowered the both of them down. Sara shuffled herself upwards once he'd placed her down, allowing him to explore her body. He kissed her hip bones and up along her stomach until he reached the soft lace of her bra, never allowing his mouth to leave her skin for a more than a moment, he discreetly un-hooked it and she took care of the rest. He could feel her skin shivering beneath his lips as he finally found his way to her neck, but it was all getting too much, he didn't think he could wait any longer and judging by her movements, she couldn't either.

He froze as he got close to her ear, he could sense her anticipation of his next move, so he chose wisely, "You have no idea what you do to me," he heard her breath hitch as she breathed in causing him to grin inwardly into her shoulder planting another ghosting kiss. He felt her arms loosen from around his neck and cup his face, running her thumb down over his cheek before kissing him gently as if she were thanking him.

As the kiss deepened, he felt her arms slide over his shoulders and fill the space between them before slipping her fingers under the waistband of his boxers at his hips. He pulled away and saw a glimpse of that 'mischievous' Sidle smile before she found his lips once more, no longer interested in being gentle, she pushed his boxers down and pulled herself up against him. The sensation of his skin so close to hers caused waves to wash over them both, but this was only the beginning.

Her underwear was the only thing left between them, but he made short work of removing that barrier. Heat was rising quickly from them both as their movements slowed. Greg had never been more sure of anything else in his life, but he had to make sure she felt the same. He scanned her face for signs or hints that this isn't what she wanted, but he found nothing, just her smile and her gorgeous chocolate eyes staring back at him. He hovered millimetres away from her lips as he moved upwards gradually, not removing his eyes from hers. She inhaled sharply and broke her eye-line with his, allowing her head to fall back into the pillow. He took this opportunity to plant soft kisses up her neck and along her jaw as he moved up as far as he could go. The both shuddered to a halt, waiting mere moments to get used to the feeling. Their breathing was rapid; the only noise in the silence that surrounded them.

He allowed her another second before he slowly drew back. He was low enough to kiss her chest, looking up as he did so, looking for signs, learning slowly what she liked and what she didn't. Her head was still back onto the pillow. He moved back up to her quickly, causing them both to gasp. She raised her head and nestled her fingers in his hair as he picked up speed gradually, finding a rhythm. His lips brushed against hers as he moved, he could feel her breathing faster as she dropped a hand to his neck, gripping on to him tightly and nuzzling her face into his shoulder. He drank in the smell of her hair as his pace quickened furthermore, surprising even himself. He gasped into the pillow as he heard her whisper his name into his ear. It was the greatest aphrodisiac he could ever wish for. He slid a hand down her side and over her thigh, pushing it up his body and pulling her in closer. Her moans rang in his head, encouraging him to keep doing whatever he was doing.

Her hips began to move in time with his, forcing him further and further towards his peak, he would have held back if he didn't already know she was nearly there too. She dug her nails into the back of his neck and became more vocal, he moved in time with her until he felt her entire body tighten and shiver. This feeling alone was more than enough to send him over the edge as they both slowed, breathing heavily and savouring the sensations that flowed over them. He could feel her breathing tickle his neck as her fingers loosened themselves, now tracing 8's into his skin. Her legs relaxed either side of him and he collapsed to the side of her exhausted.

He lay staring at the ceiling until he felt her soft hands touch his face and turn it towards her. She looked flushed and breathless but ultimately still very much perfect. He turned fully to face her and pulled her close, planting a small kiss on her temple. They didn't have any words, but nothing needed to be said. Instead, the both lay still, delighting in the feel of their hearts thudding next to each other.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up next to him was bliss. Sara outstretched her arms and memories of the night before came flooding back as her forearm brushed against his bare back. Typically Sanders, he had taken up all the space, sprawled out on his front, half in, half out of the bed. She sat up and ruffled his hair, the bed sheet forming tightly over her chest. He stirred slightly before only just opening his eyes; the events of last night had obviously taken it out of him. He smiled at her before rubbing his eyes and shuffling onto his side, outstretching his arms. She chose her moment quickly and wiggled in beside him, she felt him close his arms around her as she pressed her forehead against his chest.

"Morning," her words were almost a whisper.

"Mmm, not morning, sleeping," was his response, "What time is it?"

She shrugged and nuzzled her face into him as he rested his chin on her head. They lay in silence for a few short moments, allowing her to drink in the feeling of his skin against hers and indulging in a moments peace. That was until the sound of pagers destroyed this peace. She felt his chest move as he sighed. They were needed. Sara rolled herself away and leaned out of bed, fumbling for her pager whilst Greg got up and pulled on his Calvin Klein's before stalking out of her bedroom on the hunt for his clothes. She grinned into her mattress as she watched him move; she hated to see him go but she loved to watch him leave.

She threw the covers back and headed for the shower before he had chance to get there before her, a mischievous grin was plastered on her face as she crept away. Unfortunately, upon returning with his clothes bundled up under his arm, he spotted her and clocked onto her plan instantly. She was nearly there when she felt strong arms grab her around the waist and pick her up.

She wriggled free and it instantly became a game of who could get to the shower first. They were like a pair of teenagers, she hadn't felt like this in a long time and she was loving every second. She managed to get there but he dragged her back out, all the while the sound of their laughter echoed off the bathroom tiles. They, inevitably, kissed and made up in the shower.

* * *

The next few months were far beyond anything either of them could comprehend. She didn't know about him, but Sara had never been this happy, and she was pretty sure she had never felt like this about anyone ever before. He'd taken her out for dinner, they went to the movies and grew closer and closer, becoming more of a couple each day and still nobody had noticed, despite numerous close calls in the locker room, and one very close encounter in the labs storage cupboard.

She slung her car into her usual spot and adjusted her rear view mirror so she could see him. She saw him cruise by, tapping his fingers on his steering wheel and singing along to a song she couldn't hear. She smiled to herself as she watched him park up, his car now blocking her view. She pulled herself out of the car and wondered over, like an innocent teenager with things far from innocent on her mind. She watched her feet walking before looking up at him with her signature smile which he returned lopsidedly.

He quickly scanned his surroundings before putting a hand out to her and hooking a finger into one of her belt loops, pulling her forwards towards him and planting a kiss on her forehead. She loved the way he treated her like precious treasure, and as he looked into her eyes and ghosted his fingers along her jaw, she felt as if he was looking into her soul, she felt a little bit more together, a little bit more complete and as she stared into his eyes she felt like she had found what she had been searching for. Her heart continued on fluttering as she indulged herself in this new found feeling she had discovered for him, could she be falling in love?

"You... are very beautiful," she beamed at this comment, and fell a little further.

She opened her mouth to reply but she saw his eyes dart to his right and his smile dissipate. She quickly pulled away from him as his arms fell to his sides like dead weights. Her heart sank at their necessary secrecy.

"I'll see you later," she whispered to him whilst she still had time. She took one last look at those dark brown eyes and saw a flicker of sadness. She smiled weakly before heading inside, passing Nick on her way. "Her Nick," she smiled warmly and he grinned back, heading in Greg's direction.

As she approached the doors she glanced back and caught his smile. She felt surge of happiness ripple through her, a feeling she was addicted to already.

"Sara," a familiar voice disturbed her from her daze. Looking up, she saw the bearded face that had awoken her from her thoughts. "Sorry to call you in, but we're swamped," he said, handing her a file, "Las Vegas never sleeps," he threw her a smile before heading back on himself towards his office.

She sighed as she opened the file, but a frown quickly appeared as she read through it. The details were harrowing, and the scene of the crime was familiar to her. She swiftly followed the path to Grissom's office.

Upon arriving, he was sat at his desk, glasses on, deep in thought and in paperwork, "This is out in the desert,"

He raised his head and looked over his glasses at her, "Yes?" she scanned the map of the area carefully and continued to thumb through the file he had just given her. "Is there a problem?" There was a problem, but she couldn't admit to it, not to him. Without looking up, she shook her head and made her way back out. She could feel his eyes on her as she left, "Grab Warrick, Brass is already there," she heard as she left his office.

She felt an ache in her throat as she made her way to the break room and a sadness in her stomach, as if she'd lost a close friend and in a way, she had.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hope you're all liking it so far... :)**

* * *

It was coming up to exactly 3 months since their first romantic encounter out in the desert, he'd remembered the date and wasn't allowing himself to forget it. Although he promised himself he would never mention it out loud to her on each exact month, he always did something little that only he would know about, to thank her, in his own corny Greg Sanders' little way, for allowing him into her life.

As he watched her walk away and caught her smile, a feeling washed over him that almost overwhelmed him. He wasn't falling for her, he had already fallen and he had fallen a long time ago. When he woke up that first morning to her hands ruffling up his hair and her beautiful smile, he knew he had to be dreaming, but when he felt her sneak into his arms when he was stretching and bury her face into his chest, he knew it had to be real. Every encounter since then had been real, and he found it difficult to keep his happiness to himself, especially when he wanted to tell everyone he saw about how happy she made him.

"Earth to Greg?" a familiar Texan voice rang in his ears, "we have somewhere to be," a case file was thrust into his hands. He opened it and scanned the details, sighing. "I made a start on this one last night with Cath, but something doesn't add up. I need you to come with me to interview the Vic's wife, see if we can piece this thing together,"

Greg nodded, pulling at the handle of his car door to ensure he had locked it before following Nick over to his car. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

He was sat back in familiar surroundings gazing into a microscope and examining evidence. The afternoon had been long and had gotten them nowhere. The Vic's wife had given them nothing else to go on, so he was currently familiarising himself with the evidence Nick had collected from the scene.

"Find anything?" Greg shook his head, not removing his eyes from the evidence as Nick pulled up a stool next to him. He heard a long sigh, "There's got to be something here, there's no such thing as the perfect crime,"

Greg turned his head to face him, "Yeah but, no suspects, no witnesses, no real evidence, it looks pretty perfect to me,"

Nick rubbed his head, "I need caffeine, coffee?" Greg nodded before getting back to the evidence. Comparing samples, looking over photographs, considering possible theories but it was getting him nowhere. He pulled himself up and picked up his notes, about to head to the break room, when he saw her. She'd returned from her crime scene looking a little worse for wear. Before he had time to catch up to her, she'd ducked into the Bathroom and out of reach. Something was wrong, he could tell by her face and her pale complexion just before she slipped out of sight.

He saw Grissom in the corner of his eye heading off towards his office, head deep in a file as usual, maybe he knew what was wrong?

"Grissom?" he peered over the file at him before dropping it completely. His face was serious, he obviously hadn't wanted to be disturbed, he contemplated whether he should even bother asking as an awkward silence began to linger.

"Yes?" Grissom finally responded, a look of confusion coupled with displeasure plastered on his face.

"Is... Sara alright," he felt uncomfortable, and he was fairly certain he looked uncomfortable to.

"As far as I know, yes. She'd been out in the desert most of the afternoon though,"

Something inside Greg's head clicked, "Oh..." he had to try ask this without it seeming too obvious, "Where in the desert?" it didn't work.

Grissom's brow crinkled and a half smirk formed. Greg could feel the heat rising up him, as if he'd just dropped himself in it. "Just outside the city? Any particular reason you're so interested?" he had the look of a man about to stumble across evidence that would break the case.

"I dunno, just wondered," he turned on his heel and made a sharp exit. Just outside the city. His mind wondered back to their first kiss, where Sara went to think. It couldn't possibly be the same place... He felt an ache in his stomach as he contemplated a crime scene slap bang in the middle of a place that held so much significance for her. The only place she could go to get away from death, tainted by death. He tried to shake the thought from his head, there was no way it could possibly be the same place, but something was eating away at him and he had to find out more.

He fumbled around with the coffee machine and dawdled around the break room. Still nothing, she was still in there and he was starting to worry... Was she upset? Was it something he'd done? Was it something Grissom had done? He felt his stomach do a somersault. Grissom. He hated to think about Grissom and Sara in the same thought. They had something once, even if he didn't know what that thing was... Did she miss their 'thing'? He perched himself on the couch for a short second before heaving himself back up instantaneously. He had to get a grip. It was dangerous when he let his mind wonder. The last time he had allowed it to happen undisturbed he ended up walking away from Sara and almost walking away from the happiest 3 months of his life. No, Grissom was past, he was present, and at that, he halted his wondering mind.

He walked back out into the hall and spotted Sara remerging. She looked exhausted, frustrated, pale and sad; nothing like the Sara he had left earlier that day.

"There you are," his concern worsened when he looked into her eyes, "I saw you rush off, you OK?"

She flashed him a smile, but it wasn't a Sara smile, over the years he had come to learn Sara had many smiles. Secret smiles he had only learned about very recently, and smiles she wore on the outside only, this was an outside only smile, "Yeah, no, I'm fine,"

"You sure? You look a bit flushed and your eyes are watering," he saw a tear fall from her watery eyes which he tentatively brushed away with his thumb.

"Yeah, I'm just tired and the scene was... familiar," another outside smile. He could tell she was trying to fool him, but he knew her too well.

"Sara..." his voice was a whisper. He knew deep down he wouldn't get anything out of her here. He scanned her face, knowingly. All he wanted to do at that moment was take her hand and take her home. Look after her, make her smile again and find out what made her sad in the first place, but he knew right now that wasn't possible. Instead he rested his hands on her hips, kissing her forehead as he did so; a little sign he hoped she would recognise as a 'we'll talk later'.

He let his hands fall and pushed his concern now. For the moment, it would have to wait until the end of his shift; something that now felt a million years away.


	16. Chapter 16

Sara fumbled around for the taps and pulled them on to full power. She was the only one in the bathroom, thank God. Crime scenes never affected her, but she'd been feeling unusual for weeks, plus having her personal thinking space so violently invaded made her heart heavy. The one place she went to to appreciate the beauty of the city now forever tainted by murder. She splashed the water onto her face and the prickly cold eased her sickness, but not for long. It washed over her again and she stumbled back into the cubicle bolting the door shut. She had never been this sick, she felt dizzy and drained and as her knees ached on the floor of the lab toilet cubicle, she prayed she would remain alone until she felt less weak and vulnerable.

Her mind was racing. Deep down, she knew this wasn't just the loss of somewhere that held such significance to her, she knew it was something else but she couldn't bring herself to face it. Instead she took deep breaths and waited for the nausea to pass. She only had a couple more hours to go before the end of her shift, but it was a couple of hours too long. Her shift had dragged as it was as she was unable to shake a dull ache in the pit of her stomach.

10 minutes ticked by and Sara was now confident the sickness had passed, leaving behind the familiar ache she could cope with. She timidly unlocked the door and made her way out. There was only one place she needed to go once she'd finished her shift, and she was dreading every second. She emerged fully from the Bathroom and walked straight into Greg.

"There you are," he looked worried, maybe he already knew, "I saw you rush off, you OK?"

She hated seeing him worry, so for the time being she flashed him the best smile she could muster, "Yeah, no, I'm fine," her eyes were still stinging after the sickness and apparently it was obvious.

"You sure? You look a bit flushed and your eyes are watering," he brushed a tear from her face that had unexpectedly escaped without her permission.

"Yeah, I'm just tired and the scene was... familiar," she smiled her most convincing smile up at him, hoping he would believe her, but she could still see the concern in his eyes.

"Sara..." he said, almost a whisper. He studied her face before resting his hands on her hips and kissing her on the forehead. She could tell he understood he wouldn't get anywhere if he kept questioning her. She sensed his hands slowly leave her as he made his way back to the lab. She felt awful, but there was no way she was telling him here. For now, she had to wait.

* * *

Her shift ended and she crept out without anyone seeing her, including Greg, especially Greg. She had to do this now and she had to do this alone. She'd swung by the Pharmacy and picked up a test. She was nervous, really nervous, as she sat on the Bathroom floor of her apartment. There was a short wait before she would find out, so she took the opportunity to think, hard.

Pushing her earlier trauma aside, she instead focused her thoughts on him and their relationship. They'd only been together for a few months, but it felt like a lifetime. He was her best friend, and there was something about him that made her feel warm and safe, someone Grissom could never have really been... As she continued to think on all these positives, she felt slightly at ease, knowing that if two blue lines appeared instead of one she would be taken care of.

But what if... Her mind began to wonder. What if he freaked out and left? What if he was angry? She allowed her head to fall back onto the Bathroom wall as she rubbed her hands together nervously. There was no way she could do this without him, if she was... Alternatively, it could just be stomach flu. She heaved herself up off the floor and stood in front of her mirror. She studied her abdomen but could see nothing abnormal. She turned to the side, not once removing her eyes from the same spot. Still flat, no bump, nothing. For a split second, her worries left her and she thought about whether she was being utterly stupid.

With a sigh, she slid back down the Bathroom wall to the floor to her original position, where the test was still sitting where she left it. She didn't want to look, she didn't know if she wanted to know or not, or what she was going to do about the outcome. The waiting period had long passed but the minutes were getting shorter. She felt guilty about doing this behind Greg's back, in an alternative reality where they'd been together longer and she was confident that a pregnancy would be accepted by him, she knew he would be sat there on that Bathroom floor with her, agonizing over when to look.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello :) I'm sorry I haven't updated in a little while, I've been a tad poorly... I still am actually . (sinuses are killing me!).. Anyway, ploughed onward and here is the result :) Will update again as soon as I can, enjoy! Oh, and keep the reviews coming :) x**

* * *

Greg swung his car in next to hers outside her apartment. He tapped on the steering wheel nervously before removing the key from the ignition and pulling himself out of the car. He padded slowly to her apartment, he didn't know why but he felt nervous. She'd left without him. She's never done that before. They had always left together, having that same silly argument by their cars about whose place they would go to before eventually deciding and curling up in bed together as soon as they got through the door, catching up on missed sleep. He could feel a horrible anxiety building as he prayed to God she wasn't about to have the 'it's not you, it's me' speech. He shifted his weight outside her building before convincing himself to get it over with and racing in before he lost his nerve.

Standing outside her front door was torturous. All the courage he'd built up outside had diminished as he set to work on his next task: knocking on her door. He raised a hand but bottled it about an inch before his knuckles hit the wood. He swung his fist straight past in anger, spinning himself around as he walked away a couple of paces, burying both hands in his hair. He didn't want this to be over, it couldn't be over, he wasn't ready for it to be over and if she was going to tell him it _was_, he was going to fight for her, whether she wanted him to or not. Assuring himself that he would not leave a broken hearted man, he borderline charged at her door and knocked it loudly, scaring even himself with the force he used.

Sara pulled the door open, a confused expression on her face, and before he had chance to properly process the speech he had worked on on the way over here, he babbled almost incoherently through the main points. His garbled speech inevitably petered out as it dawned on him that he was making no sense, and also that Sara appeared to be struggling to hold in her amusement.

There was a short silence as he shuffled on the spot, staring at the floor. He heard a snuffle as she let out some of her laughter as discreetly as she could before he felt her arms wrap themselves around him. The second he felt her touch and smelt her fragrance he felt happy again as he nuzzled his face into her hair and allowed his arms to snake their way around her waist. Words could never quite describe the effect this woman had on him, whatever he was feeling would instantly just melt away and would instead be replaced by an overwhelming sense of belonging.

"You're not... leaving me are you," hearing the words out loud allowed him to fully recognise the extent of his paranoia.

"No, Greg," her voice almost a whisper in his ear, she pulled away to look into his eyes and cup the side of his face with her hand, "How could you think that?" she sounded almost hurt, but the sincerity in her eyes told him he never had to worry about losing her.

"You... didn't wait for me," there it was, déjà vu, he felt like a love-sick teenager again. He shut his eyes so he didn't have to see her reaction and cringed as what he just said replayed in his head.

She breathed a quiet laugh before kissing him on the nose just as he re-opened his eyes, "Silly Greg Sanders," she said playfully before rubbing her nose with his. "Now, we can't stand out in the hall all night, can we?" she smirked up at him before pulling him inside.

He slipped his jacket over his shoulders before following her over to the couch. Once there, she pulled his arm up and around her, allowing her to rest her head on his chest. He felt at home here and relaxed fully for the first time since seeing her rush past him earlier that day.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as he traced nonsense letters into her arm. The apartment was quiet apart from distant street noise and occasional sounds from upstairs. "I heard about your case," he said, breaking the stillness.

She sighed and burrowed the side of her head into him slightly, causing him to gently squeeze her arm in comfort. "I just couldn't believe it..." she began, she sounded defeated as she spoke, "You know, when I first came to Vegas, I was so excited to be here... that all changed with my first case. It's hard to see this city as your home as the murders keep coming. I drove for hours one night looking for somewhere I could escape to, to remind me that it wasn't all doom and gloom here and I found it. It was perfect. Just the right distance away so I could look back at how breathtaking it looked in the middle of the night and feel homesick. It helped me to live here and now... now it's gone..."

He kissed the top of her head and rested his head on hers, "I'm sorry," he whispered to her whilst stroking her hair. She shuffled into him a little more and placed a hand on his thigh, tracing 8 shapes just above his knee. "Maybe we'll have to go on another drunken adventure to find you a new place,"

She gave a short chuckle, "Maybe we will," she responded distantly, her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Is that why you were upset earlier?"

She breathed in deeply, "I wasn't upset, just a bit... nauseous,"

He moved suddenly, causing her to sit up and face him, "Are you OK now? Was it because of the case?"

Her eyes searched the room awkwardly before resting back in line with his, her heart panged when she saw his concern, "Not exactly..."

He studied her face for answers, "What is it?"

She stared at the floor before taking a deep breath and meeting his eyes, "I think I'm pregnant," she smiled meekly at him.

He cleared his throat and considered what she'd just said, "Right... OK then..." he sat silently and motionless.

"Are you OK?" she looked him up and down, he could feel his skin burning but he was pretty sure he was sheet white, "You look like you've seen a ghost," hearing that confirmed it.

His mouth was dry as he nodded, "No, yes, I'm fine... what do you... are you sure?"

She heaved herself up off the sofa and made her way off to the Bathroom. He didn't let his eyes leave her until she was out of sight. She returned with a white stick, the end facing down.

"I couldn't bring myself to look... and I kind of thought it might be better if we did this together,"

Greg stared at this foreign object in her hands, knowing completely that the outcome of this little white stick could change everything forever.

She held onto it tightly as she fidgeted in her seat, he could tell there was something on her mind as she began to turn it over. He stopped her, causing her to raise her head and meet his eyes.

"Sara, I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere, whatever the outcome, I..." he hesitated briefly. He knew the significance of the words he was about to say but he had no doubt in his mind that he meant them, "I love you, I always have and this won't change anything between us, I'll do whatever you want to do,"

She smiled at him as her fidgeting subsided. She looked down briefly at the stick, the result still facing the floor, before looking back up, "How would you feel? If it was positive?" he saw her eyes flickering as she studied him for a reaction.

He looked down at the test, a small white stick that held so much control, "Well, for me, it wouldn't be a complete disaster..." he hesitated, choosing his words wisely, "I mean, OK, maybe it's a little fast but... it's you... if it was anyone else I would be freaking out, but it's not, it's you, and I've always felt that, if you gave me the chance, I would spend my life with you... providing you don't get sick of my terrible jokes, hopeless romanticisms and awful housekeeping skills..."

She smiled, a proper smile, a secret smile he had come to recognise as a true Sidle smile. She placed the test on the coffee table and shifted closer to him. He felt her hand snake up his neck and into his hair as she pressed her forehead against his temple. "I love you," she whispered, sending shockwaves throughout his body, "and I will never tire of your terrible jokes, hopeless romanticisms and awful housekeeping skills," she moved away as he turned to face her, grinning at each other, almost forgetting what was waiting for them on the coffee table.

He reached out for the test without looking and overturned it. They both looked down simultaneously to see the two blue lines staring back up at them.

"Positive," she breathed.

Greg breathed deeply, processing what lay ahead. They had only been together properly for 3 months, but she was his best friend, he was almost certain she was his soul mate. "OK... let's do this," he met her eyes and smiled. She returned it and looked relieved.

"It'll be OK... we'll be OK," she said whilst rubbing his shoulders. He had to admit, part of him was happy, even if it was an accident. He knew exactly when it had happened... It had to be a result of their first night together where they'd both got too caught up in the moment to think about anything other than each other. They'd known each other for years, they had always been close, it felt like they'd been together forever, and he was prepared to face the consequences of their actions, together.

He let out a short laugh, "What are we going to tell the others?"

Pulling at his arm, she settled back in to her previous position, "I don't know... they don't have to know just yet, it can be our little secret," he could hear her smile in her voice and he knew deep down she was a little happy about this too. He placed a hand on her stomach and traced circles, thinking about their future.

"Maybe we should put off the drunken adventure for the time being..."


	18. Chapter 18

It was dark when he woke up. He groaned as he stretched his legs out, moving his right arm up and over his face but realising his left was trapped. Looking over, it dawned on him he wasn't at home and curled up next to him on top of his arm was Sara, facing away with her face burrowed into the crook of his elbow, her fingers interlaced with his. As he slowly came to his senses, he realised she was naked and so was he. He breathed a contented sigh as he shuffled himself over to face her back, ghosting his fingers down her side. He felt her shiver slightly under his touch and move back into his chest, he drank in her scent as if it were a drug.

"Are you awake?" he was just drifting off to sleep and her voice made him jump, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..." she sounded barely awake herself.

"I think I woke you, not the other way around," he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her in closer, his hand finally settling on her abdomen.

She gently clasped her hand over his and stroked his finger with hers, "I've been thinking...!"

"Careful now..." he whispered playfully.

She tried to nudge him with her elbow but he blocked her off, she breathed a short laugh into his forearm before planting a gentle kiss there, "You're here almost every night, if you're not here, I'm at your place. How about we just make things easier and... you... just..." there was a long pause. He felt her shuffle around to face him and he opened his eyes to meet hers. The lights from outside hit her eyes just right causing them to twinkle perfectly back at him.

He smiled and ran his free hand through her hair, coaxing her to continue, "Just...?"

"Move... in..." she smiled through those last two words and so did he.

"Sara Sidle," he pulled her in as close as possible, resting his chin on her head as she wrapped her arms around him, "I would love nothing more than to come home to you every single day and wake up to you every morning, afternoon or evening... but are you sure you can live with me? I don't want to annoy you and I... don't want you to get bored of me..."

She shifted her head away and looked deep into his eyes, "You won't annoy me, and I will _never_ get bored of you,"

He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, "Well... good," they lay in comfortable silence for a few moments as he let his eyes close, ready to drift back off to sleep...

"Well... what do you think?" he felt his heart swell a little in his chest as he buried a smile in her hair. She was being serious, very serious. This was all he ever wanted, but he had never expected it to happen so quickly. He was nervous, but good nervous.

"I think... that would be perfect,"

She laughed and brushed her nose over his, "OK... Good" he could hear her smile as they both slipped back into blissful sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**2 months later**

It was a slow night. Greg was at home, likely asleep. It was just her and her bump, all alone in the lab, except alone was the last thing she felt when she spent time by herself over the past couple of months. Since she'd found out she was pregnant, she never felt alone for the simple reason that she never was alone, not really.

They still hadn't told anybody else. They'd picked a date they were going to do it and planned the day down to the last detail to ensure they definitely went through with it, including exactly how they were going to explain themselves. Until then, she disguised her growing bump with baggy clothes. Her CSI vest had grown snug but hid everything it needed to, it was still their little secret, a secret she didn't want to let go of.

She had become very protective over her relationship with Greg, and as time had slipped by, she couldn't help but feel a little sad that one day they would have to share their relationship with everyone. She liked the moments they stole together, she loved the apartment they shared, but most of all, she loved the feeling of having something so special all to themselves.

She sat in the lab studying samples under the microscope, mindlessly stroking her 5 month old bump, only just visible when she touched it, otherwise hidden under loose boxy t-shirts. She never thought she'd be the Mother-y type, but she was actually really enjoying pregnancy, it made her feel close to Greg even when he was far away. She knew he would make a superb Father; he was incredibly protective over them both already, and her heart would shiver whenever she caught sight of that twinkle in his eyes when he laid eyes on her and her slowly developing bump after a day apart.

She sighed to herself, it had been a long night, she was tired, she was aching and all she wanted was to be home and curled up in bed next to him. She rested her elbow on the table next to her microscope and rested her chin in her palm, allowing her eyes to close just for a moment.

"Come on, I know you're in there, wake me up..." she let her free hand rest on the small curve of her bump. She hadn't felt their baby kick yet, she had been told this was normal for a first pregnancy, and she might not until her 22nd week, but waiting for it drove her crazy. To her, it wouldn't be real until she felt something. She'd felt what felt like butterflies, but no kicks, nothing that felt like a baby. Her sickness had only recently subsided, allowing her to spend her free time tentatively focusing on her abdomen for any type of real movement, but so far – nothing.

She took a deep breath and caught hints of something familiar. Opening her eyes quickly, she jumped as she felt familiar arms slide around her waist, "Sleeping on the job, Sidle?"

"What are you doing here?" He twisted her round to face him and she felt that familiar warmth in her chest as she caught sight of him. He looked tired as he straightened up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Greg smiled meekly before nudging himself forwards to stand between her knees. She glanced around before wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling him close and resting her head on his stomach, "I missed you, " she breathed, drinking in his scent; a mixture of soap, cologne and their bed.

He sighed, the past few days had been tough. They'd been working pretty much opposite shifts in order to get all their evidence together for an arrest, because of this they had barely seen each other for longer than 5 minutes each day, "I missed you too," he whispered before pressing a kiss into her hair, "And you," he dropped down to her stomach, smoothing her loose t-shirt back so it revealed her bump. She smiled goofily as he planted a small kiss there before looking up at her, "I got called in, some kind of emergency, I dunno... Thought I'd come and see you first," He stood himself back up and moved back, pulling her onto her feet, she resumed their embrace as he rested his arms casually around her shoulders, "It's quiet round here tonight..."

"Mhmmmm," she shut her eyes again and burrowed her face into his chest, "So tired..." she mumbled.

"I know, me too... Think they'd notice if we snuck out and went h..." his arms fell to his sides like dead weights, she knew what that meant. She whined quietly at the sudden loss of warm and comfort. She saw him wave lazily at someone behind her and watched as his head moved slowly, following this someone until they were out of view. "Sorry, Nick's just arrived,"

"Nick too? Must be important if they're calling everyone in," she brushed a finger over his arm, now crossed over his chest.

"Hmmm..." he looked distracted, looking behind her, "You found anything tonight?" he was talking to her, but his eyes were still following something behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder for less than a second, not enough to see what he was looking at, however. She began to go over the different things she'd looked at that night, scanning his eyes for change and it was then she saw it. His face paled and his eyes widened before he pulled her flush to him and span 180 degrees. It was then she felt everything move in slow motion. He held on to her tightly as she heard glass shatter and a sound she had come to recognise as gunfire. She held her breath as she felt Greg's weight fall onto her and a sharp burning pain in her shoulder. His arms pulled her head to his chest, shielding it from the ground as they fell. He twisted slightly off to the side, making sure not to fall on her as they hit the ground.

Her breathing was rapid and adrenaline was racing through her veins as she scanned her surroundings. She saw somebody running away, and a pair of legs racing after him that she identified as Nick. She pulled her shirt over her shoulder to inspect the damage. The bullet had just grazed her, she was bleeding but not seriously, "It's OK, I'm OK, it just grazed me, I'm..."

She froze as her eyes fell on him. He was on his side, hand pressed hard to his chest, face screwed up in pain and there was blood. A lot of blood. "Oh my God," she crawled closer to him and rolled him onto his back, "Somebody call 911! We need an ambulance!" she cried out, hoping someone could hear her. She cupped his face, smearing the blood from her shoulder over his jaw, "You're going to be fine, Greg, OK, just stay with me, OK?" tears were falling fast from her eyes as she shifted her attention to his wound. She pushed her weight down onto his hand, but it was a through-and-through.

Her eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for anything. She saw her cell phone on the table top and snatched it, dialling 911. The burning sensation in her shoulder was deepening as the shock of the situation began to take hold but she pushed through it. She grabbed two towels with a free hand and returned to his side. Upon getting through to emergency services, her voice trembled as she recapped everything that has just happened aloud, begging the person on the other end to send help quickly. Her blood was slowly trickling down her side but she didn't care, right now, he was more important.

"Sit up a little bit, just for a second," he complied and she bundled one towel directly under his wound. He hissed in pain as she pushed him back down again, "I know, I know..." she said, running her blood stained fingers down the side of his face, stopping briefly to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

She lifted his hand and put the second scrunched up towel in its place, putting her own weight hard on top of it. He breathed in sharply and squirmed under the pressure. He hadn't said anything yet and she knew this all too well. She let out a quiet sob as she watched him, he was in so much pain and he'd taken it all for her, to save her. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his, never once allowing any pressure to lessen from his wound. She let her tears fall freely and before she knew it, she was sobbing.

She felt a hand brush lazily through her hair, "Shhhh," he soothed. His eyes remained shut, bottling in his pain.

"Please be OK," she whispered. Barely 5 minutes had passed since she first heard the gunshot but it felt like a lifetime. She inwardly begged for the ambulance to arrive soon, she prayed for the first time in her life for someone to come and find them here, but it had seemed all attention was on catching the shooter.

She felt his hand settle on the side of her face, running his thumb over her cheek, brushing away her tears, he opened his eyes hesitantly and she allowed herself to get lost in them, "I love you," his voice was a croaky whisper as she felt his hand fall slowly down to her stomach, stroking it affectionately, "Everything will be OK," his eyes slowly shut and his hand slowly slipped away from her.

"Greg? Greg! Wake up, stay with me!" she was practically screaming, pushing harder down on top of his wound whilst shaking him violently. She felt strong arms pull her away as paramedics surrounded him, "No! No, I need to be with him, let me go with him!" she thrashed around violently, trying desperately to escape and be next to him. She needed to say it back; she needed him to hear her say it.

"Sara, you need to stay back and let the paramedics work," she could just about hear the familiar voice through the surrounding noise that had suddenly enveloped her. She sobbed and held her head in her hands before a shattering pain ripped through her stomach.

She screamed out in pain as the strong arms loosened their grip, allowing her to drop down on to her side, clutching her tiny bump protectively. She never let her eyes leave Greg as she curled up in pain. Two paramedics came towards her as she reached out for Greg's bloody hand. She touched it for a brief second before he was lifted up and whisked away out of sight. "No, I have to go with him, let me go with him!" she begged but nobody was listening to her. For the first time in 5 months, Sara felt completely and utterly alone.


	20. Chapter 20

**1 hour earlier**

* * *

Greg couldn't sleep. It had just passed 2.30am and he couldn't sleep because he was alone. He hadn't seen her properly for nearly 3 days, and his heart was aching. It had been 3 days since he'd slept next to her, 3 days since he'd woken up with her, 3 days since they were last close in any way shape or form, and it was making him miserable.

It wasn't anybody's fault. If they all knew the truth they might have scheduled their shifts a little more sympathetically, but they were so close to nailing this guy, it was a sacrifice they had to make, even if he didn't really want to make it.

In some ways, it was a relief when his pager went off. He wasn't sleeping anyway, and at least he could see her, hopefully for longer than 5 minutes. He felt a small flicker of electricity rush over him as his sadness subsided. He was going to see his girl, the girl he loved. He hadn't told her yet, but he wanted to, the only thing holding him back was the thought that she wasn't quite there yet. Just because she was having his baby doesn't mean she loved him yet, and his mind always made sure to remind him of this regularly.

* * *

He slung his car into his space and jumped out, eager to see her face, her eyes, her smile. He was lovesick and he knew all too well. It was fast approaching 3am and everywhere was silent apart from very distant street noise.

He swiftly dropped his stuff off in his locker before heading back out. As he headed past the lab, he could just about pick up her dulcet tones; she was talking to the baby again. Peering in through the glass wall of the lab, he spotted her, head in the palm of her hand, eyes shut and touching her stomach tentatively. He crept in slowly and stood behind her, slipping his hands around her waist, "Sleeping on the job, Sidle?"

He felt her jump back into his chest, "What are you doing here?" he span her round to face him and looked deep into those eyes; he was home again. He smiled meekly at her and brushed a strand of hair from her face, she was so beautiful. After deciding to himself that there probably wasn't anyone around, he nudged her knees apart. She looked around properly before pulling him in closely, casually slinking her arms in around his waist and resting her head on his stomach. "I missed you,"

He sighed, "I missed you too," and he had, more than anything. He pressed a kiss into her hair before remembering they weren't alone in the room. He dropped down to stomach level, "And you," how could he forget. He smoothed her shirt back and revealed their little secret. He studied her bump slowly, looking for signs of change or a growth spurt he might have missed out on. Satisfied he hadn't missed anything significant, he planted a light kiss before looking up at her again; realising he hadn't yet answered her question, "I got called in, some kind of emergency, I dunno... Thought I'd come and see you first," He stood himself back up and moved back, the lights in the lab hit her eyes just right and for a split second he was lost. He pulled her onto her feet and she took the hint, closing the space between them and nuzzling her face into his chest.

He looked around, the place was pretty much silent, "It's quiet round here tonight..."

"Mhmmmm," he felt her burrowing softly into him, "So tired..." he knew that without her even having to say, she always burrowed her face into him when she was sleepy...

"I know, me too... Think they'd notice if we snuck out and went h..." 'Shit' he thought, he saw the doors outside swing open and immediately dropped his arms. He heard her whine quietly at the sudden loss of contact, but it was necessary. Nick caught his eye-line so he waved tiredly at him, as he passed. He kept his eyes on him until he was completely out of sight, "Sorry, Nick's just arrived,"

"Nick too? Must be important if they're calling everyone in," he returned his attentions to her as she ran a finger down his arm. Her touch felt like electricity and he smiled inwardly at her affection. Glancing over her shoulder for a brief moment so he didn't lost in her eyes, he instead saw something far more unnerving.

"Hmmm..." he continued to study this individual... almost certain he knew him from somewhere. He tried to brush it off, it was just his imagination, "You found anything tonight?" but he couldn't remove his eye-line. He was sure, almost positive, he looked incredibly familiar. He noticed her quickly glance back over her shoulder in his peripheral vision before going over her evening in the lab. But then it dawned on him and he felt a feeling wash over him that he had never experienced before. It was him, their main suspect. He was dressed up in some sort of mock Janitor outfit and he was slowly making his way towards them. He could actually feel the blood drain from his face as he saw what he was pulling from his pocket.

He didn't know why this guy was here or why they were his target, but in the short second it took for him to process exactly what was about to happen, he knew what he needed to do. He pulled her close and span her around becoming her human shield. He felt himself falling forward, and for a split second, fear gripped hold of him; what if he hadn't reacted fast enough? He didn't have time to consider this, as a strong burning sensation began to spread over his shoulder. He deliberately fell awkwardly so that he didn't crush her and crashed to the ground with a painful thud.

The pain he was feeling was unbelievable as he clamped his eyes shut in some futile attempt to keep the pain from escaping in screams. He was in a state of extreme shock as adrenaline coursed through his veins but he somehow managed to control his breathing and put as much pressure onto his wound as he could, but his strength was rapidly depleting. His eyes refused to open so he had no idea if he'd saved her or if he had failed her.

"It's OK, I'm OK, it just grazed me, I'm..." he didn't care about himself, she was OK and that was all that mattered. "Oh my God," he felt her carefully roll him onto his back and he winced at this new uncomfortable angle, "Somebody call 911! We need an ambulance!" she was over reacting; it couldn't be that bad... Then again, he was starting to feel very light headed as his shoulder continued to throb and pulse. He felt her cup his face, stroking his jaw. She often did this to reassure him, but it was usually over silly things that happened at home. It was definitely bad, "You're going to be fine, Greg, OK, just stay with me, OK?" he felt her hands pushing down onto his shoulder for a moment.

He heard her talking and shuffling around, before feeling her warmth at his side once more.

"Sit up a little bit, just for a second," sitting up was incredibly painful and the movement allowed it to dawn on him how damp his shirt felt. He felt her push him back down onto something lumpy. This _really_ hurt and he hissed as the burning sensation raged through him, "I know, I know..." she soothed, running her fingers down the side of his face. He could hear the fear in her voice and it was breaking his heart.

She moved his hand and took over the pressure he was failing to provide. He heard her sob and rest her forehead on his. He could feel her tears falling onto his face and he knew he had to try and do something. He could feel the energy disappearing from his body, but he forced himself to move.

"Shhhh," he still couldn't open his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how badly he wanted to see her face, he just couldn't do it, the pain was too severe and keeping his eyes shut allowed him to hide what he knew she would be able to see in his eyes; the pain he was bottling in.

"Please be OK,"

He dropped his hand and settled on the side of her face, running his thumb over her cheek, brushing away her tears, he opened his eyes hesitantly, he risked her seeing him so vulnerable because he had to say it now, just in case he wouldn't get another chance, "I love you," he felt his arm getting weak as he stroked her stomach affectionately, "Everything will be OK," he felt sleepy as his own words replayed in his mind, he hoped he was right.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hope you're all enjoying it so far :) Keep the reviews coming! :D xo**

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It was a blur. All of it was a blur and Sara was still struggling to figure it all out. The trauma she had been through had stressed the baby, but they both made it through. The ER patched her up best they could but she didn't want to stick around, nobody was telling her anything and at least here she could see him, even if she wasn't allowed in just yet.

She stared blankly through the window at him, he looked peaceful. Her arms were crossed, the only thing holding her together right now. She outstretched two fingers from underneath her arm slowly, almost secretly, running her fingertips over the small curve of her abdomen. She was still covered in his blood which had now dried, a constant reminder of everything that had happened in the past 2 hours. It was torture having this barrier between them; all she wanted to do was make sure he was OK. She gingerly outstretched an arm and traced the outline of his lifeless body on the glass.

"Please be OK for us..." her voice was barely a whisper.

A familiar shuffling step was approaching, but she didn't move to see who it was, she couldn't take her eyes off him for fear of missing any sign of life.

"You should go home," came the voice to her left.

"I'm not going anywhere," her voice was quiet, almost as lifeless as the frame through the window. There was an uncomfortable pause that she didn't feel like filling. Her crossed arms pulled her bloodied shirt taut over the bump but she didn't care, the whole lab probably knew by now so it didn't matter anymore. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and a rogue tear escaped from her eye. She wiped it away quickly before it fell too far, "Have you found the bastard that did this to him yet?" her voice was bitter as her anger spilled over. She took a deep breath before tearing her eyes away from Greg.

Grissom stood before her, his familiar salt and pepper almost comforting but the worry in his eyes was plain and clear. Right now though, she didn't care, she wanted answers and he knew it, "He managed to get out of the building and into a car, but Brass has got almost the entire police department chasing him, he won't get away with this, Sara,"

There was another long pause as she studied his face briefly before turning back to the window, "I didn't get to say it back,"

"Say what back?" She shook her head, thinking about it was causing an uncomfortable lump to ache in her throat, she wasn't ready to talk yet. He must have sensed this because he dropped it. "He'll be OK, Sara,"

"But what if he's not?" her voice was faltering, "What if he's not going to be OK? What if I lose him? _We_ lose him? I can't do this on my own, I can't, he was the only reason I felt like I could, the only person who made me feel..." she breathed in deeply as more tears fell, "like I could do anything, like I was special and I don't think I can lose that. I can't, I..." she was getting exasperated, her voice was broken and she gave in to the aching in her throat and let tears fall, "I can't live without him," she faced him again and looked completely into his eyes, but his eyes weren't looking back at her.

"Sara... you won't have to," he pointed towards the window. Her eyes widened and she felt a flutter in her heart as she followed his finger. She watched as he began to stir and knew that she had to be there when he woke up.

Pushing open the doors to his room she pulled up a chair quickly before taking his hand in hers. With her free hand she ran her fingers through his hair and down the side of his face, willing him awake.

He groaned before hesitantly opening his eyes, excruciatingly slowly. She could feel the anxiety in her stomach settling with every passing moment. He blinked a couple of times before letting his eyes fall in line with hers.

"Hey," she breathed a quiet laugh of relief at his voice and allowed herself to fall in love with those eyes all over again, eyes she was scared to death she'd never be able to get lost in ever again, "You have no idea how happy I am to see..."

"I love you too," the words tumbled out before she could stop them, "Don't you dare scare me like that ever again," she pressed her forehead against his and a happy tear fell.

"I don't intend to," his voice was croaky as he let out a long groan, adjusting to his growing aches and pains. She watched his eyes widen ever so slightly, worry was painted across his face as his eyes dropped to her stomach, "How's..."

"Fine, we're fine, better now you're back with us," he smiled up at her and sighed.

"You're covered in blood, haven't you been home?"

"I wasn't leaving until you knew I said it back," another tear fell. He shuffled over to the edge of his hospital bed and lifted his mobile arm with a groan, "What are you doing?"

"Come here," he whispered. She didn't need telling twice. She cautiously snuggled up beside him, planting a chaste kiss on his jaw.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Sara Jane," she felt his grip tighten softly around her and her worries melted away. She was home again.

Behind the glass, Grissom watched quietly before slowly turning away. He felt a tug at his heartstrings as he turned to leave, but he was happy for them. He was happy she was happy, and all that mattered now was that he found the guy that did this to them.


	22. Chapter 22

His shuffling step echoed down the empty hallway; back and forth, back and forth, contemplating things. The lab was silent, now a crime scene. He stood carefully, perfectly placed between shards of glass that littered the floor. His eyes slowly followed the glass upwards until they came to rest on the large pool of blood. Largely his but mingled with hints of hers, the crimson pool was starting to dry in its cool surroundings. He breathed a long, drawn out sigh as he contemplated the evening that had not long passed. It was coming slowly up to midday, but activity in the lab was non-existent. Still no word from Brass and it was causing knots in his stomach.

He approached the blood pool slowly, catching his own reflection staring back for a brief moment. Salt and pepper hair, furrowed brow, warming familiar features tied up in knots, a far cry from his usual calm and soft demeanor. Grissom squatted down to get a closer look at the blood pool and wondered briefly as he tried to distinguish the blood pattern, tried to see where his blood ended and hers began. It was difficult and he found his mind beginning to wonder to other things.

He straightened up and looked completely around him. Almost silent, everyone too busy trying to catch the one who had caused all this. Another sigh escaped him as he tread carefully back into his office, closing the door behind him to think properly.

He tried in earnest to keep his mind on the job, on clues, hints, evidence, the case, but it was hard. It wasn't long before he began to think about her. Her with him. Sara with Greg. It was such a lot to take in. How long had they even been together? Judging by her swollen abdomen; long enough. He tried to pinpoint moments when this could have started; he was an investigator and this was a puzzle he needed to figure out.

Judging by her bump, she looked 4 or 5 months along, so they'd obviously been together at least that long. He hadn't witnessed tension or chemistry between them over this time, but then again, he hadn't been looking for it. The picture of them curled up on the hospital bed was etched in his mind. Her soft hourglass curves just visible to the side of Greg who had tentatively wrapped an arm around her, casually running circles over her stomach. The anger on her face had softened and melted away now that she was with him and she knew he was safe. His face was slightly crinkled in discomfort from the pain in his shoulder, but he still had that goofy Greg Sanders smile plastered across his face as he held her.

He felt jealous; he couldn't help it. All these years he'd sent her mixed signals because he was unsure of what he wanted, and all these years she had been slowly drifting away into the arms of somebody else. It was his own fault, all of it. He'd had his chance and he let her slip away. Now she'd found happiness somewhere else, someone younger, someone better, someone who had loved her all along and he knew deep down he probably couldn't really compare that. He knew of Greg's crush on her, the whole lab did. Grissom had picked up on the way he looked at her with a sparkle in his eye that spoke volumes to those who could hear them clearly. Little had he known that she could, and that the feelings he had for her were mutual.

It was all beginning to make sense now, the way they would intentionally stand away from each other when around other people, but could always be found joined at the hip in the break room when they were alone, sitting closely on the beat-up couch, quietly talking about what he had assumed to be their case, but he now believed to be otherwise. Her clothes had been getting bigger and now he understood why, she wasn't losing weight; she was gaining it, hiding their growing secret for as long as they could from everyone else, even him. He had to admit, she did have a certain glow about her of late, now he knew why.

He slowly removed his glasses, rubbing his bridge as the pressure was relieved. It had been a very long few hours and racking his brains over Sara was not helping the ache beginning to form behind his eyes. He leaned back fully in his chair, outstretching his arms behind him, tracing the edges of his shelving unit lightly with his fingers. He knew he should go to bed, but something was keeping him here.

Out of nowhere, the vibrations from his phone began to echo on the wood beneath it. He glanced at the screen _Incoming Call: Brass_. He snatched it up and answered swiftly.

"Grissom,"

"We got him," Brass's familiar voice rumbled through his ears as he processed what he heard. He shut his eyes and rubbed a palm over his head, 'Thank God' he thought to himself.

"Good,"

"We're bringing him in now, but I'll drop by and see Greg first on the way, tell him the good news... That son of a bitch can wait in custody; I wanna make him sweat,"

Grissom nodded slowly to himself before snapping the phone shut. They'd got him, it was over for him but for Greg & Sara it was only just beginning. Just like that, his thoughts returned to them as a very small tear leaked from the corner of his eye, losing steam half way down his face and disappearing into his skin. He sat quietly, deep in thought, as an old saying found its way into his head 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone'.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello :) I'm so sorry it took me so long to upload this. I had extreme writers block, but managed to get this down (just about!). Already part way through the next chapter, so hopefully I won't keep you waiting as long... if any of you were waiting at all that is.. :P Keep the reviews coming! You've all been so very lovely 3**

* * *

Greg had recovered well. His arm and shoulder were out of his sling, but still very stiff. He was up, dressed and packing. He couldn't wait another moment to get home to her. She thought he was coming out tomorrow, mainly because that's what he'd told her when he'd sent her home to bed that afternoon, little did she know he'd lied in order to surprise her.

She had visited him every moment possible; a factor he genuinely believed helped him with his speedy recovery. He hated it when she had to leave, hated the thought of her going home alone, sleeping in their cold bed. But most of all, he hated having to be so far away from her when all he wanted back was his simple pleasures; such as falling asleep wrapped up with her, letting the sound of her heartbeat lull him to sleep. On more than one occasion, during his hospital stay, he'd found himself unable to sleep for thinking about her. He'd end up calling her in the middle of the night, just so she could leave the phone on by her side, allowing him to listen to her breathing, just knowing she was there was enough. He threw the remainder of his things into a duffel bag before leaning to scoop it up.

"Whoa, no you don't," came a familiar Texan voice. He looked up to see Nick approaching quickly, picking up the bag before he had chance to.

"You're early," he said as he smirked towards his friend.

Nick smiled warmly back, "Because I knew you'd try and hobble out of here with all your stuff on your own," he knew him too well.

Greg breathed a laugh, "Thanks, but I can handle one bag..." he reached to take it from Nick, momentarily forgetting he had been shot until the dull ache in his shoulder gave him a harsh reminder. He winced at this sudden pain, but his pride refused to back down.

"Greg, I think I've got this..." Nick said with a raised eyebrow, scanning the discomfort that was all too clear on Greg's face.

He sighed and shook his head as Nick triumphantly headed out, turning briefly to signal for him to follow, which he did, not really knowing what to do with his hands now as he walked. He absentmindedly placed his most mobile arm into the pocket of his jeans, allowing the other one to rest in rigid comfort at his side. They walked silently down the hospital corridors before Nick broke it.

"So... You and Sara?"

Greg felt a tingle run down his spine, him and Sara, as a couple, in the same sentence, people were referring to them as a duo, people... he cleared his throat quietly before he got carried away in mindless thought. "Yes," was still all he could come up with, bringing his trail of thought to an abrupt halt.

"How long has that been going on?"

Greg exhaled completely, "Coming up to 6 months now,"

"Is that all?" Nick glanced across at him for a second; there was clear surprise in his voice.

Greg unconsciously slowed his pace, somewhere in the back of his mind; he knew they didn't have enough corridor for this conversation, "Yes?"

"And... how far along is she?"

Greg paused, "Coming up to 6 months now," he repeated.

Nick stopped in his tracks, Greg took an extra couple of steps before he realised he was walking alone, "Seriously?"

"Yes," he had been wondering how he was going to tell people about him and Sara, he hadn't imagined that two simple phrases would be all he would need, but Nick had other ideas.

"Now come on, I'm not letting you get through this conversation on bare minimum, how did this all happen?"

"Well, it's a long story, a really, really long..."

"Well, I've got time," Nick folded his arms, Greg wasn't sure but he looked a little offended right now.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, it just... everything happened really fast and we decided to wait and tell everyone at once, especially with the whole baby thing... We didn't want to get split up which would have been the first thing Ecklie would do,"

"Come on, Bro, you could have trusted me," yep, he was definitely hurt. Greg couldn't help but smirk inwardly at Nick's disappointment in his lack of sharing.

"I know, I would have done, it was just... we were just... everything was just... perfect, exactly how it was and we just wanted to hold onto it, just the two of us,"

He saw the corners of Nick's mouth twitch a little as he slowly began walking, "Alright, alright, I think I understand..."

Greg followed as they walked in uncomfortable silence for a few short moments, "I love her... very much," he mumbled earnestly as he watched his feet walking, fully expecting fits of laughter to erupt to the side of him.

But there were none. "I'm happy for you, Greg. Besides, the way you two were dancing around each other avoiding the obvious, it's about damn time," he said with a smirk.

As they left the Hospital that had been his prison for the past few weeks, Greg got his first hint of that real Nevada breeze. It took all his self control to stop himself from stretching out both his arms and basking in the warm glow of the city he had missed. He instead took a deep breath and drank it all in as they headed towards Nick's car.

"I'm going to Sara's, right?"

Greg shook his head, "Mine, she'll be there," they hadn't had chance to decide whose place to move into before the accident, but whilst he'd been in Hospital Sara had pretty much moved herself into his apartment. It was because, she'd said, it was the only place she could sleep soundly. Mainly because it smelled of him. He smiled at the thought of her scent embedded in his apartment properly and he couldn't wait to get home to her.

XXX

He opened his apartment door as quietly as he could. Nick gave him a salute as he dropped his bag just inside. Greg nodded his thanks as Nick flashed his signature wide grin and headed out. He closed the door with a click and breathed in the familiar smell of his apartment, tainted ever so slightly with the smell of her. He revelled in it and allowed himself a few extra minutes to observe his surroundings.

It was tidy and organised. In fact, he can't remember there being a time where his apartment was quite so tidy and organised... He breathed a contented sigh as he traced his fingers over one of his old hoodies lying limply over his couch. She'd obviously dug it out of his closet and had been wearing it whilst he was gone. He used to wear it religiously, but it had since been abandoned. He was happy that it had been resurrected in the most perfect way possible.

He heard his bedroom door open and his heart rate began to quicken. She padded out in a pair of black French knickers and one of his T-Shirts. She was rubbing her eyes and feeling her way around as she did so, her mini bump just visible.

"Hey!" her eyes snapped open as she jumped about a mile out of her skin with a gasp, "Oh, Shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare..." but she didn't give him chance to finish as her lips collided with his. The ache in his shoulder deepened but he didn't care as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly.

She pulled away to breath and nuzzled her face into his shoulder, breathing deeply, "I'm so glad you're home,"

"I'm so glad to _be_ home," he whispered, moving a hand from her waist to her neck, tracing soft circles underneath her hair, resting his chin on her head. She gave him a squeeze before flying away from him with a squeak. He looked at her puzzled expression and returned it with his own, "What?"

She stood absolutely frozen in front of him, looking intently into his eyes as if she'd just discovered something wondrous, "It kicked me,"

"What kicked..." then it clicked and he felt a waterfall of emotion come crashing down on top of him, "Really?" his voice hitched slightly as she nodded with that Sidle smile plastered on her face, she took his hand and carefully placed it to her abdomen. They waited silently for what felt like forever, both staring down intently, until suddenly he felt it. A dull thud that made everything sink in. This was real, this was actually happening. He looked up at her with the same look of wonder she had shown him moments before.

She stood up on her toes and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, "She's missed you,"

"She?" his eyes widened.

"Or he..." she smiled mischievously up at him, before sighing contently, "I've missed you too..." her voice was barely a whisper. He ran his thumb over her jaw until it came to rest at her chin. He gently pulled her closer and returned the chaste kiss he had just received.

She pulled away slowly before taking his most mobile hand and walking backwards towards the bedroom with him. He couldn't help but beam as he followed her quietly. He had everything he could ever wanted right here, and this was just the first day of the rest of their lives together.

"I love you so much, Sara Sidle,"

"I love you too," were the last words to leave her lips before she captured him in a searing kiss, closing the door softly behind them.


	24. Chapter 24

She held him tightly but making sure to avoid the sore spot on his shoulder. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be so close to him and she hated herself for it. Her fingers weaved their way under his shirt and over the muscles in his stomach, feeling them flex under her touch as he buried his hands into her dark curls, deepening their kiss. She missed this, missed him, wanted him, needed him and now he was here with her again in his apartment. Their apartment. For a while he had unofficially moved in to her apartment, but he still had a lot of time left on his lease. He would go home very occasionally for supplies but that was it. But since that night, his apartment was the only place she wanted to be as it was silently selected as their _official _home together.

She pushed her hands up further, dragging his t-shirt with it. He first removed his good arm, before pushing it over his head and down his bad arm. He grimaced ever so slightly, she could tell he was doing his best 'I'm totally not in pain' face but she wasn't buying it. She ghosted fingers over the bandage that hid his fresh scar from her view. She sighed as she was inadvertently thrown back into memories of that night. He must have sensed her withdrawal and swiftly got to work bringing her back out of herself once more.

He bent slightly tracing kisses down her neck. The sensation was electric as she allowed her head to lull to the side and her eyes to close. She slipped a hand behind his neck, encouraging him to continue as she allowed her other hand to sit comfortably at the waistband of his jeans. She felt his kisses ghost back up and end below her ear. His breath was husky and hungry in her ear and it only served to make her want him more.

She fumbled with his belt buckle as he continued to worship her, planting soft kisses down her jaw then down to her collarbone, causing his jeans to slowly drift out of reach. She leant back against his bedroom door as his kisses travelled lower, skimming over his t-shirt on her frame and continuing at the swell of his abdomen. His most mobile arm roamed freely over her hip and down her thigh as he continued to place kisses. He was really, truly worshipping her.

She placed her hands around his face, gently pulling him back up to her level. He had that goofy lopsided grin on his face that gave her butterflies as he leaned into her, claiming her lips. She couldn't help but smirk with him as they kissed. This moment was utter bliss and she couldn't wait to get back into old habits; falling asleep in front of the TV, spending lazy mornings in bed wrapped up in each other, waking up next to him, his scent clinging to her skin – something she loved most of all. It was torture being away from him over the past few weeks. She couldn't resist the smell of his apartment when she first let herself in alone to get his things for his hospital stay. She couldn't sleep in her apartment after that. When she would wake in the middle of the night from a nightmare of that night in the lab, it was the smell of him on his sheets as she slowly became conscious again that would remind her it was only a dream. And now he was here, he was here with her again, all the proof she would ever need the next time she would awaken from that reoccurring dream.

She leaned into their kiss, consciously pushing him towards their bed. When he failed to get the hint, she put a little extra pressure on his hips, where her hands had now come to rest, all the while being incredibly conscious of damaging him, afraid that at any moment he could shatter under her touch. She jumped slightly when she thought too much about it, suddenly becoming incredibly conscious of her every move.

He breathed a small laugh, his breath tickling her cheek before pulling away.

"Sara, it's OK," God damn it; he could read her like a book.

She looked up at him, at those beautiful brown eyes, the brown eyes she had once been terrified she'd never see again. She felt her heart shiver as a small teardrop fell from the corner of her eye, but she was quick to wipe it away before it fell far. She was angry with herself for letting her mind wonder to bad places. He leaned forward to rest his forehead to hers, burying his fingers into her hair and stroking her cheek with his thumb. She gave a small laugh and a sniff, averting her eyes from his occasionally in a futile attempt to hide her sadness. "Just... pregnancy hormones," she said, mimicking his comforting motions over the curve of his pelvis.

"Sara..." he whispered, barely audible, "You can't hide from me," his eyes bore into hers and for a moment it felt like they were completely alone in the world, just the two of them.

She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, breaking her eyes away from his and instead letting them settle on his collarbone, "I'm scared,"

"Of what?"

"Breaking you... losing you... I don't think I could lose you again..." her voice didn't falter but another tear escaped, this time Greg caught it and brushed it away.

"Again? I'm still here, you never lost me," his voice was soft and reassuring as she shut her eyes, savouring the feel of his skin under her fingertips.

"I _nearly_ lost you, that was bad enough... I'm sorry, I know I'm being stupid... pregnancy hormones," she repeated with a nod, reassuring herself if nobody else.

He sighed and kissed her gently on her forehead, "I'm not going anywhere, I promise... and I'm not that fragile either," he said, playfully nudging his head with hers and rolling his healing shoulder slightly as if to prove to her he wasn't about break.

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly at this as she raised her head, re-aligning her eyes with his once more. She slid her hands over his stomach and up over his shoulders, slowly allowing them to rest comfortably around his neck, gradually relaxing and letting the weight rest on him. Satisfied he wasn't hiding any excruciating pain she stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him, her kisses growing in depth as she grew in confidence.

He broke away from their kiss momentarily to walk backwards to their bed, undoing his belt buckle and allowing his jeans to fall heavily to the ground as he walked, wiggling his eyebrows at her like a teenage boy on prom night. She laughed at his boyishness as she followed, slipping his t shirt over her head as she did so. She watched his eyes grow wide when he realized she had not been wearing anything underneath it. She grinned her gap tooth smile as his eyes travelled over her, sitting back down on the bed and pulling her to stand between his legs.

His hands skimmed over her stomach affectionately, "You've grown," he said almost in awe as his finger tips traced her shape.

She scoffed quietly at this remark, "Thanks!"

He laughed at her offence, "You know what I mean," at this he planted a gentle kiss at the roundest part of her stomach as she rolled her eyes, "You are so beautiful," she smiled remembering the night they first kissed, when he first said these words to her. He took her hands and pulled her forward onto his lap. She was initially hesitant but he was very persistent, pulling her knees around him and resting his hands in the small of her back.

"And you are delirious," she said with a smile, planting a kiss on his forehead.

He rolled her eyes at her comment with a lopsided smile before craning his neck to meet her lips, running his hands up her back eliciting a delicious sigh to escape from her as their kiss deepened. She pulled herself back, standing once more with a mischievous grin. He groaned and fell back onto his back, staring at the ceiling in frustration at this constant stopping and starting. She laughed as she hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her underwear and pulled them down before creeping closer to him and sliding his boxers down over his hips.

She heard him laugh as he sat himself back up again, pulling her forwards eagerly. They hadn't been this close in weeks; she could feel her heart rate rising in her chest as she gingerly placed herself in her previous position. His hands reclaimed his territory as they slid up her thighs and over her hips, helping to steady her as she brushed her lips against his, lowering down to him fully.

They sat perfectly still in this position for some moments, drinking in the feel of skin against skin, savouring the taste of each other on their lips. Here, they finally felt perfectly complete having both found the person they'd been searching for, only to discover they had both been there all along; content and ready to face anything and everything the world had to throw at them.

The End.

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**Well, there you are... Ending it here... for now :) I'm planning on doing a sequel at some point, fully go into their relationship and the baby and everybody's reaction to it. Covering everything that may have been left out... If the demand is there, obviously ha :P**

**Anyway, thanks so, so much to every single one of my reviewers... Hope you enjoyed this, I know I did :) xox**


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